


The Tomboy Type

by chibimaker21



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Drama, Dramedy, F/M, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-15
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-01-01 15:56:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 135,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1045754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibimaker21/pseuds/chibimaker21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of Mirabella Marino, a transfer student from the United States. She's abrasive and rough, and also indebted to the host club after breaking a very expensive antique tea set. Determined to pay them back herself, she'll do whatever it takes, even if it means (Ugh) wearing a pink maid outfit. As time goes on and bonds form between her and the host club (Whether they're good or bad bonds is up to the reader) she finds herself falling for the strong, silent type. What will he say to her feelings and how will the host club react? Rating might change to explicit later on because of lemons, re-posted from my account on fanfiction.net, the story is slow to start, but I hope you'll give it a chance!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - Mirabella and Isabella

1

A girl with short cut, golden brown hair walked through the doors that led to the front room of the Ouran High School. She smiled as she walked around the room. "Wow! It's huge!" She heard the door shut with a loud _bang!_ She looked around to see a girl a girl with longer, darker brown hair and a single neon blue streak in her hair with a disgruntled look on her face.

"Doesn't matter how big it is." She growled, "I cannot  _stand_ overly fancy places like this. I swear to you, every boy here is obsessed with sex, and every girl is as shallow as they come." The lighter-headed brunette gave the other an exasperated look.

"You're exaggerating." She said, "I'm sure that everyone at this school is very polite." She began walking down the hall, her knee-length purple skirt swishing from side to side as she did.

"Yeah, and I'm a golden platypus." The other growled under her breath as she followed her. Her already somewhat disheveled jeans scraping against the heels of her boots. These two were Isabella and Mirabella Marino. Two sisters from America, whose father recently made a lot of money in the fish business. He decided to go where fishing was good, and made a good meal when chopped, fried, baked, or covered in wasabi paste: Japan.

He had recently started up a sushi business, and it was flourishing. He already had a nationwide chain. With this new money, he decided to send his girls to one of Japan's most prestigious schools, Ouran High School.

Isabella, his pride and joy, was a sweet, innocent girl with loving tendencies towards others. She made good grades, joined good clubs, and always ended up making large numbers of friends. She was courteous, kind, polite, and made good relationships with all her teachers. A perfect example of daddy's little girl (She was the youngest by fifteen months) but she didn't use it to her advantage. Her friends were normally girls a lot like her, who liked fashion and boys and other girly stuff.

Mirabella, however, was a different story. Mirabella and Isabella were his only girls, so, while Isabella spent more time with her mother, Mirabella spent time with her father, and two older brothers. She was unusually tough for a seventeen year old, and had a fondness for sports that included mostly men. At their last school, she had been the running back for their power puff football team, and was pretty good at it. School life, however, was a different story. She had problems with authority, and she was constantly getting sent to detention. She made good grades, straight A's in fact, but that didn't really help her attitude. She had antisocial tendencies and normally made almost no friends, if she did, it was some boy with a fondness for alcohol and multiple piercings across his paper white face. She got into fights, had pulled pranks on teachers and other students, and had taken in too many street smarts for his taste (Last month, he found a charge for a switchblade he didn't buy on his credit card…).

Both girls walked down the hallways of the school, looking for the office of the school chairman to get their uniforms and schedules for the rest of the year.

Mirabella began to hate the decorating more and more as she kept walking by. She didn't like floral designs, or large windows with unbelievably large curtains. She was more comfortable in a cozy place, like a house small enough for you to holler someone's name and have him or her hear you, or her bedroom. She looked over at her sister, who was engrossing herself in the architecture and design of the halls. Isabella loved large buildings with complicated designs, mostly because she wanted to be an architect herself when she got older, or at least an interior designer.

Mirabella took her single neon blue streak into her hands and began twirling it around her finger, something she did when she was nervous or, in this case, bored.

"So, where exactly is this guy's office, anyway?" Mirabella suddenly asked her younger sister, who looked back at her with a slightly startled face.

"You mean you don't know?" She asked, Mirabella stopped twirling her streak and stared at her sister incredulously.

"Izzy, I thought you were leading this whole time!" She exclaimed.

"I was just observing the architecture of the columns!" Isabella said, pointing to the columns on each side of the windows. Mirabella let out a groan. Her eyes immediately saw a small boy with chestnut hair and big brown eyes walking down the hallway, at least, it looked like a boy.

"Hey! Kid!" The boy looked over at her as she trudged over, "Which way to the chairman's office?"

"Chairman Suoh?" The boy asked, Mirabella glared at the boy.

"Who. Else?" She asked through clenched teeth. The boy pointed down to the end of the hallway to a staircase.

"If you go up that staircase and go to the right, you should find his office pretty quickly." He said, "It's marked 'Chairman's Office.'"

"Thanks, kid." Mirabella said as she walked past him and grabbed her sister's shirt sleeve.

"Ah! M-Mira!" Isabella whined as she was dragged. The boy looked after them with a peculiar look.

"These rich people keep getting weirder and weirder…" He murmured to himself as he kept going down the hall.

* * *

Tamaki strolled into his father's office, his expression simply radiating joy and excitement. "Father!" he called, getting the attention of the school's chairman, "I just had the most wonderful idea for the host club tomorrow!"

"Oh, really?" He asked, smiling at his blonde son, "And what would that be?"

"Well, I was thinking about a-" He stopped when he heard a loud bang. The incoherent sounds of voices, one he knew was his father's secretary, the other he didn't know. Both Suohs' attentions were at the door as they heard the secretary yell, "Wait! You can't go in there!" A girl in a black T-shirt with a white skull on it, underneath a denim vest, wearing a pair of jeans, suddenly kicked the door open and both of them were staring at the bottom of her brown boots. She lowered her foot to reveal a pair of green-grey eyes and a single streak of neon blue hair framing the heart-shaped face of a pony tailed teenage girl.

Behind her came Mr. Suoh's secretary, and a girl who appeared to be only a little bit younger than the other was, wearing a pink tank top underneath an open short-sleeved collared shirt with a floral pattern. She also wore a knee-length purple skirt and a pair of heeled pink sandals. Her golden brown locks framing her heart-shaped face and letting her green-grey eyes stood out because of her make-up.

"I'm sorry, sir." The secretary apologized, "She just came barging into the office, demanding to see you." Said girl walked forward, looked over Tamaki once before turning her attention to his father behind his desk.

"Chairman Suoh?" She asked, placing her hands on the desk's edge, he nodded, she smirked triumphantly as she spoke, "We're Mirabella and Isabella Marino. Your new students from America." His eyebrows rose considerably when he heard their names.

"Oh, yes! The Marino siblings." He stood up, shook her hand, and walked around the desk to shake her sister's hand, "Welcome to Ouran. We're very happy that you decided to attend-"

"Yeah, yeah, cut the intro and get to the point." Mirabella interrupted. Isabella shot her sister an angry look.

"Mira!" She hissed abashedly, Mirabella sneered at her and waved it off. "I'm sorry about my sister, Mr. Suoh. She's not exactly the most mannered person."

"Or the nicest, or the sweetest, or the most air headed, or the shallowest…" Mirabella listed off, counting them on her fingers mockingly. Isabella shot her a look and she stopped. Mr. Suoh laughed.

"It's fine." He said, "I suppose you two must be here for your school uniforms and books?"

"Yes, sir." Isabella answered, "And we were wondering if we could have a list of the school's clubs?" Mirabella groaned.

"Certainly." Mr. Suoh said, pulling out a file from a nearby drawer, "If I may suggest a club to you both?" Isabella nodded as she took the file from him, "The school's host club is very popular, my son," He gestured to Tamaki, "Is the club's president." Tamaki walked over to Isabella and took her hand in his.

"Enchante, Isabella-hime." He greeted as he brushed his lips against her knuckles. Isabella blushed shyly as he dropped her hand.

"Oh… It's nice to meet you, too, Suoh-san." She said, Tamaki held up her hand.

"Please, call me Tamaki." He said, Isabelle's blush deepened.

"Okay… Tamaki-san…" She said. Mirabella pointed to her mouth and made a gagging sound, and Isabella's shy smile disappeared and turned into an angry glare. It didn't work on Mirabella, but it definitely scared both men. "What is  _with_  you?"

Mirabella shrugged, "I dunno." She said uncaringly. Isabella rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the headmaster as he handed her two more sheets of paper.

"These are your class schedules, and we sent your uniforms to your house this morning." He said as he looked over a form, "But we were told the Marino siblings were a sister and brother…"

"Yeah, that was on purpose." Mirabella said as she snatched the paper from his hand, "I've seen your school's uniforms, not exactly fond of poofy yellow dresses. So I told the old man to put us down for one girl's uniform and one boy's uniform." She folded up the paper and placed it on his desk.

"May I ask why?" The chairman asked, Mirabella smirked and Isabella grimaced.

"Yeah, because yellow is the color of piss." She took her sister's arm and they both walked out of the office. Over her shoulder she called, "Catch ya later, old man!"

When they were out of sight, they both heard Isabelle reproachfully yell, " _Mira!_ "


	2. Chapter 2 - First day of School

2

"Let's see… Art club… Music club… Band club?" Isabella raised her eyebrow at the words, "Why would they have a band club if they already have a music club?" Mirabella shrugged as she drove the car.

"Because they're a bunch of rich, luxury-loving freaks?" Mirabella asked, a smirk on her face. Isabella smacked her sister's shoulder lightly with the piece of paper before looking at it again. "Just sayin'."

"Hey, I'm thinking about going to that host club later." Isabella said, "You wanna come with me?"

"Not in this lifetime." Mirabella said, Isabella sighed.

"You know, you really need to make some friends." She said.

"I  _do_  make friends!" Mira said, "They're just not all girls like all of  _your_  friends." Isabelle sighed.

"I know, you need to make some friends who  _are_  girls." She said, "I can't be the only female you come in contact with, other than mom." She quickly added the last part when Mira opened her mouth. She shut it and pouted at her sister.

"But girl-talk is so  _boring_!" Mira whined, "Besides, who makes better friends than family?" Isabella shook her head, "Don't give me that look, Izzy! You couldn't make friends with a guy if you wanted to!"

"Well, I don't." She said, "I  _like_  boys, Mira. Maybe, if you'd just admit that you're a lesb-" Mira smacked her hand over her sister's mouth.

"If you finish that sentence, I will not hesitate to make your life a living hell, so help me God." She growled menacingly, Isabella nodded quickly and Mira took her hands away. "I keep telling you,  _and_  everyone else, I'm  _not_  a lesbian! I just haven't found the right guy yet, that's all." Isabella sighed.

"I know, I know." She said, "Maybe if you actually  _went_  after the guys you like, you wouldn't have had only one boyfriend in your lifetime." Mira rolled her eyes.

"You shut up! At least I actually asked him out!" She said, "You should be happy for me for working up enough courage to do it." Isabella sighed.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say." She relented. Mirabella pulled into the parking lot near the school and parked in the spot underneath a tree, but not directly underneath it so the leafs wouldn't fall all over her windshield. They stepped out of the blue Toyota car and slammed the doors as they grabbed their bags and walked towards the school. "Still, it's high school! And this is your last year! Don't you at least want to spend it with someone special?"

"When I start to care about relationships, I'll let you know." Mira said dryly as she held her bag over her shoulder like some of the boys did. Isabella rolled her eyes and walked beside her sister as they went into the building.

* * *

Isabella looked up at the sign on the door and smiled, "Class 2-A. This is me." She looked back at Mirabella, "Have fun in 3-A!"

"With all these rich morons? I'm sure I'll have  _oodles_  of fun." She groaned sarcastically as she went off to find her classroom. Isabella gently opened the door to see that class had yet to start. She smiled and walked in, shutting the door behind her. She found a window seat that wasn't taken and sat down. She was in the middle of the row, which she considered a good thing. Close enough to hear what the teacher was saying, but far enough to not be called on by him. She looked out the window and gazed at the garden below, and smiled at all the roses she saw.

"Alright, if your butt is not in a chair in the next five seconds, you will receive a detention." A voice called out. The students moved to their seats and Isabella turned her attention to the front of the classroom as the teacher, a man in his mid-thirties with dark hair and dark eyes came in. His eyes landed on her and he smiled at her. "Class, today we have a new student." He said, he gestured for Isabella to come up, and she did so, "If you could please write your name on the board?" He handed her a piece of chalk and she wrote her name in English, and again in Japanese.

Most of the students were confused when they saw the name of the new student was 'Isabera Marino.' She turned to the front and smiled, "My name is Isabella Marino, it's nice to meet you." She bowed in greeting.

* * *

Mira opened the door to class 3-A and sighed. The classroom was filled with many students, something her antisocial personality was not exactly fond of. She found a seat in the back of the room, a corner that was next to a window, and took it. She saw the gardens outside her window, and her forehead creased in confusion and exasperation.  _These people are too rich for their own good._  She thought to herself.

The door to the class opened to reveal a brunette woman with deep brown eyes who must have been around her late forties or her early fifties. Her hair was obviously dyed. The class was instantly silent when the door shut. The teacher eyed Mira immediately and beckoned her to come up. Mira groaned and stood to go over to the front of the classroom. The teacher handed her a piece of chalk.

"Write your name on the board and introduce yourself to the class." She commanded, Mira took the chalk reluctantly and made a face at the teacher when she turned around. She heard some of the students laugh. She wrote her name in English, not bothering to write it in Japanese.

When she finished, she pointed to the board and said, "That's my name. Any questions or comments are unwanted." She began to walk back to her desk, but stopped when the teacher cleared her throat. She pointed to the board and told her to write her name in Japanese for the students that couldn't read English. Mira sighed out a reluctant " _Fiiine_." and wrote out the Japanese version of her name, which was 'Mirabera Marino.' She walked back to her seat and slumped in her chair. She had already been at this school for five minutes, and she couldn't wait to get out.

* * *

"You're joking." Isabella said, staring at her sister's pink detention slip. "You've only been here  _one day_! How could you have possibly gotten a detention?"

"Read the reason why." Mira said, putting the slip in her sister's face. In the teacher's intricate script, the reason for detention was:  _Disrespect of the teacher._

"You didn't." Isabella groaned, Mira shrugged. "What happened?"

(Flashback)

_Mira looked back over at the same blonde-haired, brown-eyed kid that had been staring at her for the past fifteen minutes. He held a pink bunny, and couldn't be any taller than four foot five. "What?" Mira hissed at him._

_"Your name is Mirabera?" He asked._

_"Actually, it's pronounced 'Mirabella,' and yes." She whispered back. "Why do you care?"_

_"I'm Honey!" The boy said, he turned the pink rabbit toward her, "And this is Usa-chan!"_

_"Okay, whatever." Mira said, brushing him off._

_"Marino-san!" The teacher called. Mira groaned._

_"What?" She groaned out._

_"Well, Marino-san. Since you seem so intent on speaking with Haninozuka-san, perhaps you can tell us the famous last words of the poet we're studying?"_

_Mira closed her eyes in serious thought for a moment, when she opened them, she said,_

_"Kiss my ass?"_

(End Flashback)

Isabella grimaced, "You did  _not_!"

"Oh, I did." Mirabella said, "At least I made a good first impression on those kids. It was actually kind of funny. You shoulda seen the look on that teacher's face." Isabella shook her head.

"It's not funny! Now I have to eat lunch by myself." She sighed.

"Aw, you'll be fine." Mira said, clapping her sister's shoulder, "You always end up making friends at school. I'm sure a little solitary lunch time will do you good." Isabelle sent her sister a dry look, but she didn't notice it because she was looking at the watch she had on her wrist. "Well, better get goin'. Takanawa-sensei doesn't want me to be late for my first period of lunch detention!" She waved to her sister as she began to walk down another hall, "Later tater!" Isabella sighed to herself and headed off to the cafeteria.

* * *

"Um, excuse me." Isabella said, looking down at the blonde head in front of her. He turned around and she was surprised. "Oh! I-It's you! The chairman's son!" Tamaki smiled at her.

"Ah, Isabella-chan. Good to see you." Tamaki said, "Can you not find a place to sit?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't mind…" She mumbled. Tamaki stood up and, with a princely flourish, gestured to the seat beside him. She sat down and smiled sweetly at him, "Thank you."

"Why aren't you sitting with your sister?" Tamaki asked, taking his seat. Isabella sighed.

"She has lunch detention with Takanawa-sensei." She said, "The first of many, I'm afraid."

"Takanawa-sensei… Doesn't she teach third year literature?" Tamaki asked.

"Yep!" Said two voices behind them. They turned to see a pair of redheaded twin boys behind them carrying identical lunch trays and a third boy with brown hair and large brown eyes, looking an awful lot like a girl. "According to Honey-sempai, she's one of the strictest teachers." One twin said.

"Yeah, she's always finding some way to give someone at least one detention by the end of the month." Said the other.

"That's what we've heard anyway." They spoke at the same time. Isabelle raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the two.

"Isabella, this is Haruhi Fujioka, and Hikaru and Koaru Hitachiin." Tamaki introduced, "They're members of the host club I spoke to you about before."

"Oh." Isabella said, she smiled at the trio, "Hi, I'm Isabella Marino, nice to meet you." They smiled back.

"Likewise." Said Haruhi, taking the seat on her other side.

"Nice to meet you, too!" The twins said, they sat opposite her on the table. "So, Isabella-chan, what year are you?" Kaoru asked.

"Second year." She said, stabbing a fork into her salad, "I'm a transfer from New York." She ate the bite she had picked up.

"In America?" Hikaru asked, Isabella nodded. "Long way from home, huh?" She nodded again. "So you and your… sister, was it?"

Isabella swallowed, "Yeah, my sister Mirabella." She said, "A third year."

"How far apart are you?" Haruhi asked.

"About fifteen months." Isabella said. "What year are you guys?"

"First years." The twins said, "Are you in the same class as Kyoya-sempai and the Boss, here?" They pointed to Tamaki.

"She is." Tamaki answered, "But we're on opposite sides of the classroom." He looked over at the brunette, "So, have you given any thought about coming to the host club?" Isabella looked back at him.

"Yes, actually, I have." She said, "I  _do_  want to go, but, knowing my sister, I probably won't come."

"Why not?" Tamaki asked, a whine underlying it.

"Well, she's very impatient, and doesn't want to have to wait for me before we go home." She said, "So, unless she has something to do as well, it won't happen."

"Well, why not give her something to do?" Tamaki asked.

"Like what?" Isabella retorted, "She said she wouldn't come. The only thing she probably could do at this school is join a wrestling team." She saw the twins' eyes light up. "But she's already done that, so I doubt she will."

"What do you mean?" Haruhi asked.

"Well, you see, every year, my sister does some kind of after-school activity." Isabella explained, "At first it was just regular sports like soccer, softball, basketball, and volleyball. Then, she decided to do sports that involve lots of strength, like football, lacrosse, rugby, wrestling-"

"Isn't wrestling for guys only?" Hikaru asked, "I mean, I've heard of girls playing American football, but…"

"Yeah, she convinced the coach to let her join." Isabella said, "Won MVP that year…" She took another bite of her salad. "Anyway, after that, she started doing karate, fencing, tae kwon do, even this one class that taught her how to use ninja stars and knives!" The four teens stared at her in shock, "It's odd, I know, but that's just how she is."

"So, she has an interest in… fighting?" Tamaki asked, Isabella nodded.

"If you want to be that wide spread about it, yeah." She said, Tamaki smiled.

"I think I have an idea."

* * *

"Kendo?" Mira questioned, looking at her sister. Isabella nodded.

"Yeah, it's basically like sword fighting, only with bamboo instead of giant needles like in fencing." She said, "You can do Kendo while I'm at the host club. That way, you won't have to wait on me all day." Mira rolled her eyes, not taking the deal, "Oh c'mon! You learn how to fight like those Japanese samurai guys!"

"So?" Mira questioned.

"Didn't you say you wanted to learn how to fight like they did?" Isabella asked, "Besides, where else are you going to get a kendo class? We're in Japan, we might as well make the most of it." Mira let out a stream of air that caused her blue streak to fly up.

"Alright." She relented, "I'll check out the class." Isabella did a victorious arm-pump, "But if that class turns out to be really suckish, I won't wait on you after school, got it?" Isabella nodded.

"Got it."


	3. Chapter 3 - Kendo Class

3

Mirabella walked down the hallway and looked to see the gym where kendo was being held was surrounded by girls, occasionally squealing at something. She rolled her eyes and pushed passed them to get to the door. She ignored their complaints and walked in to see a group of boys in kendo gear doing a few warm-ups being led by a tall boy with a stoic face and dark tresses. He looked toward her as she came in, as did many of the other boys. Although Mira wore the boy's uniform, it was painfully obvious she wasn't a boy. Her long hair was one reason you could tell, another was the fact that she wore a D-cup bra, so her chest was pretty big. Her legs were long and slender, you could tell through the pants she wore as she moved. She walked up to the one leading them and bent her head back to keep eye-contact with him.

"Excuse me, but are you the one in charge?" She asked, he nodded once. "Good, because I'd like to join the kendo team." One of the boys being instructed lost his footing. The eyes of the boy widened as he looked down at her. "So, what do I do to join?"

"You can't be serious!" One of the other kendo students said, "Girls don't do kendo!"

"Who says?" Mira demanded, "I didn't see anything in the rules about girls not participating!"

"Yeah, but this isn't a sport for girls." Another one said.

"Neither is American football, but I play it anyway." Mira retorted, she looked back to the tall boy, "So, can I join or not?" He didn't say anything as a high-pitched voice squealed over at the corner of the gym. She turned around to see the short little blond boy from her class skipping over to the tall boy. She watched in a bit of shock as he climbed up his shoulders like a monkey.

"A girl playing kendo!" He squealed, "Are you good?" She shrugged.

"Never done it before." She said, "But I have done softball, football, soccer, fencing, and a couple self-defense classes. How hard can kendo be?" The blonde boy shared a look at the taller one before they both looked back at her.

"You can try out." The boy said, "You can go against Takashi!" He patted the tall boy's head and smiled. Mira raised an eyebrow in a dubious way and cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"You serious?" She asked him, the blonde nodded. Mira shrugged again, "Okay, whatever." The boy squealed again and jumped off the boy he called Takashi, took her hand, and led her to the place where they kept the supplies. He outfitted her with some of the kendo gear that was a little big on her. He gave her a bamboo sword and she walked over to where Takashi waited in his own gear.

She held up the sword and pulled down the helmet. "Ready when you are." She told him. Takashi nodded and they began to fight.

There were cheers, mostly for the captain of the team, as they kept fighting. She blocked as best she could against the swing of his sword from his gigantic arms. She got him, once, in the side. Point for her. He got her in the leg, point for him. It kept going and going until Mira got a hit to his side again, and it was enough to knock him over. She stopped and lifted up her helmet as she looked at him, and he looked back, both of them shocked by the amount of strength she had just wielded. The entire gym had gone silent. She scratched nervously at the side of her head.

"Um, does this mean I'm in?"

* * *

Mira sat down on the bench as she watched a couple other kendo students spar with each other. The blonde boy she saw before came skipping over to her with an annoying large smile on his face. "Congratulations on making the team!" He said cheerily. Mira gave him a dry look. "What?"

"You know, you got me in a lot of trouble today." She told him. "I got lunch detention for talking to you."

"Sorry." He said, "I was just trying to make friends." Mira rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." She muttered, "What did you say your name was again?"

"My name is Mitsukuni Haninozuka." he said, "But everyone calls me Honey!"

"Right…" Mira mumbled, "You read my name on the board, so I don't have to tell you my name."

"Yeah, you're Mirabera Marino!" Mira groaned.

"No, it's Mira _bella_!" She said, emphasizing the 'L'.

"Oh, sorry." He said, "How about I call you Mira-chan instead?"

"No." She said the second after he had mentioned it.

Honey pouted adorably, "Why not?"

"Because that would mean we're friends, which we're clearly not." She growled as she stood, "How much longer until kendo is over?"

"Five minutes." Honey answered, looking back at where the captain was supervising a spar between two other students. Mira followed his gaze and observed them until a bell rang outside the building, signifying that kendo and any other clubs that took place at this time that it's time to go home. She scooped up her clothes and saw the boys walking to a building outside the gym that was obviously made for showers. She was about to follow when she saw that it was a boy's only shower.

Frustrated, she grabbed a random kendo student and made him look at her, "Hey, where're the girl's showers?"

"Girl's showers?" He repeated, "The nearest one is over by the second building, I think…"

"The second building?" Mira repeated, "That's on the other side of the campus! I don't have that kind of time!" She pushed past him and started marching towards the boy's showers. Honey watched and followed her as she burst through the doors of the showers, surprising all of the boys inside, who frantically began covering their nudity as she walked in. She ignored their protests as she went past, finding showers that had curtains for boys who were uncomfortable with their bodies. Each one of them was empty.

She picked the nearest one and stepped behind the curtain, not willing to undress in front of the boys. She placed her kendo uniform outside of the stall along with her underwear and bra as she turned on the water. She relished in the feeling of water washing the sweat off of her body, unaware of the eyes that were suddenly on the stall.

Some boys just stared at the shower, hoping to see the figure of the girl through the curtain. A few braver boys stepped closer, trying to peek through the sides of where the curtain might have a little space so they could see her body with their own eyes. One of the boys was brave enough to tiptoe his way to the shower and pick up her black bra. Many of the other boys looked on in awe as he brought it back for them to gaze at.

They faltered, however, when Mori came into the showers, still dressed in his kendo uniform, Honey trailing behind him. The boy holding the bra tried to throw it to another boy so he wouldn't get caught, but he threw it right back. So he threw it to another boy, who threw it to another boy, who threw it to another boy and so on until Mori reached them.

The boy who was holding it at that second, quickly hid it behind his back. "Captain! Uh, w-we were just, um-" He stopped as Mori grabbed his arms and made him bring them forward, revealing the bra in his hands. He looked down at him disapprovingly as he tried to stutter out an excuse, "N-Now hold on, Captain! I-It's not what you think!"

Hearing the noise Mira peeked her head out of the shower curtain to see the kendo captain in the middle of a group of boys, most of them with towels around their waists (Thank God). She squinted as she tried to peer in on what they were looking at in one of the boy's hands as he spoke, "Y-You see, um, it's just…" He trailed off, unable to think of anything, so he jabbed his finger at another boy exclaiming, "Jiro did it! He's the one that grabbed it, not me!" Mira's eyes widened when she saw a black bra in the hands of the boy who was pointing at the one called Jiro. She looked down at her pile of clothes and saw her bra was missing.

"You fucking  _perverts!_ " Mira squealed, her face flushed in embarrassment and anger, "You stole  _my bra?_ " She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself as she stormed forward, snatching the bra from his hand, "What the hell? If you want to see a girl's underwear that badly, get a fucking girlfriend!" She kneed him in the gut and he hunched over and she turned around and punched the guy he had pointed at. He fell backward, holding his nose. She turned to the other boys, and they all backed away from her, "Fucking pervs!"

* * *

Mira turned off the water of the shower. She peeked outside the curtain to see the captain and his friend Honey were still there, standing five feet away.

"I swear to God, if either of you peeked in on me…" She growled, Honey quickly shook his head.

"Nope!" He said, "We stood guard, just like you asked!" Mira nodded once and picked up her clothes before hiding behind the curtain again to change.

After the little (ahem) incident, Mira had asked Mori and Honey to stand guard outside the shower to make sure it didn't happen again. She pulled on her uniform and scrubbed her long hair with a towel as she walked out, in the white shirt and black slacks, but with the jacket tied around her waist and the tie hanging loosely around her neck. She looked at the two as she walked out.

"Thanks, you guys." She said, "I appreciate it. You can go home now."

"Oh, we can't go home just yet." Honey said, "We have to go to the host club. We're really late." Mori nodded in agreement. Mira choked on her own spit and stared at the two incredulously.

"You guys are part of that stupid club?" She asked. Honey nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, you should come, it's really fun!" He said, Mira grimaced and turned away.

"No thanks." She grumbled. "If you guys have that freak for a president, I'd hate to see the rest of the club." She pulled the jacket on her shoulders and started to tie her necktie. "Thanks for the help, Honey-san, Mori-san."

"No problem!" Honey chirped, "We'll see you at practice tomorrow, okay?" Mira nodded once.

"Yeah, see you later." She said. Mori and Honey walked out of the showers, Mira put the finishing touches on her necktie and tugged it as she grabbed her bag and walked out. She traveled down the hallways and got to her locker, surprised when she saw a note sticking out of it. She took it out of the grates of her locker and unfolded it.

_Mira,_

_Went to the Host Club.  
_ _I'll be back by four._

_Izzy._

Mira looked at the clock on the wall.

4:28

She scowled and crumpled the note up. She tossed it in a wastebasket as she went by. She went through hallway after hallway, unsure of where she was going. She finally found a boy and asked him where the host club met, he told her they met at the Third music room and gave her the directions to get there. She gave her thanks as she kept walking down the hall. She pulled the doors open easily, and quickly. Making all the heads in the room turn to her. She stepped in, her eyes scanning the room, not hearing the sudden whispers about her arrival. She spotted her sister sitting on a couch across from where Chairman Suoh's son was sitting. She scowled and marched forward.

"Mira-chan!" Honey called, waving.

"Not now." Mira growled, holding up her hand as she went past. Isabella shrunk at the sight of her older sister as she approached. She grabbed her sleeve and pulled her up, "We're leaving now."

"Ah! But-but Mira!" Isabella stuttered as she was dragged, "Just give me five more minutes!"

"No, we're leaving now." Mira said firmly, "It's way past four, and we're going home." Isabelle looked at the watch on her hand and her eyes widened as she kept being dragged by her sister.

"Oh, it is." She said, Mira shoved her unceremoniously out the door and turned around to shut the doors to the club. Everyone stared at the doors in silence for a moment, before returning to whatever they were doing.


	4. Chapter 4 - Sisters' Quarrel

4

"No." Mira said firmly as she walked to her locker the next morning.

"But  _why_?" Isabella whined, "You liked it yesterday! And I need you to have something to do if I'm going to go to the host club!"

"Who said you're going back?" Mira said as she reached her locker, putting in the combination to unlock it, "That place is a useless club, anyway. It's full of players wanting to use the women around them to inflate their gigantic egos even more. I don't want you hanging around them."

"Oh, so the host club is a player club now?" Isabella asked sarcastically as her sister opened her locker door.

"Yup." Mira answered shortly, reaching for her books. Isabella sighed and leaned against the wall next to her. Isabella brought her fist up to her mouth as she coughed harshly, the action hurting her throat as she went into a small fit. Mira shot her a worried look and began fishing an inhaler out of her bag. Isabella took it and put the nozzle in her mouth and breathed in as she pushed the button. "You gonna be okay? That sounded pretty bad."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Isabella waved off as she handed the inhaler back, "Though, it  _is_  getting pretty bad. I could barely get out of bed this morning."

"Well, you watch yourself, okay?" Mira said, "You're getting a lot worse a lot more often." Isabella shot her a worried look.

"Mira, this is what I was worried about, you're concerned more about me than yourself, not that I don't appreciate it, but..." Isabella said in a tone that sounded genuinely worried. Mira looked over at her younger sister, "You're already seventeen years old, in your third year, your  _last year of high school_ , and you haven't even been with a boy for more than a week yet!" Mira shrugged indifferently as she pulled out a history book, "At this rate, you're going to be alone when you're older, being completely dependant on dad, and I don't want to see that happen to you." She looked at her older sister sadly, "I don't want you to be alone and neither does dad. Maybe, if you actually gave some boys a chance, you wouldn't be." Mira looked at her sister's sad gaze as she silently begged her to give them a chance.

"But they don't even like you back!" Mira said, "All they do is flirt with girls, feeling absolutely  _nothing_  towards them at all! They lead you on!"

"That's not true!" Isabella said, "Tamaki is the only one that openly flirts, but none of them make promises! They don't promise to take them out on dates, or meet them somewhere, or be theirs forever. They know what they're doing, and most of the girls know, too!" She sighed, "But I'm not telling you to come to the host club, I'm saying… I want you to be with someone." Mira's eyes saddened at her sister's eyes, "Just… Think about it." She walked away, carrying her books to her next class. Mira sighed as she looked at the inside of her locker. Her eyes narrowed as she felt hatred for herself boil up inside. She let out a grunt as she slammed the door shut, and stalked off to her classroom. Not noticing the two hosts that had seen the whole thing.

Honey looked up at his cousin, both of them looking slightly worried about their new friend.

* * *

Honey glanced warily at Mira as she seethed, glaring holes in her pop quiz that the teacher had given her. She scribbled furiously on her paper and flipped it over, showing that she was finished.

_I wonder what's wrong?_  Honey thought to himself, turning back to his own quiz,  _maybe she needs some cake._

* * *

"GRAH!"

"Ouch!"

"That's another point for Marino-san." The referee drawled, the scoreboard was like this: Mira-23 Opponent-02.

Mori noticed this right away, seeing that she was putting a lot of force into her blows. She panted heavily as she stood over the boy she was up against, who was still on the floor.

"Give up?" She asked, the boy nodded, removing his helmet. She didn't help him up and turned around to face the other boys, "Anyone else?" Most boys shook their heads, but Mori stepped forward, pulling his helmet down over his eyes. "Fine." Mira said, getting into the right position.

And again they fought, Mori was surprised by the fury in her thrusts, so he dodged a lot more than he normally would have. He used his best parries, giving his all as she let out her feelings and frustrations on him. He knew that girls have many emotional problems on daily basis, and keeping it in wasn't very healthy, so if she wanted to take it out in kendo, then he'd have the best chance of standing up against her. After three minutes of straight fighting, Mira was breathing harshly and the force in her thrusts was weakening, and he finally managed to get a few points for himself. Finally, he landed a hit to her legs and she held up a hand.

"Okay, okay." She said, "I forfeit. I'm done for now." Mori nodded once and lowered his weapon. She took off her helmet, showing how her sweat had made her hair, including her blue streak, stick to her forehead and how her cheeks had flushed. She wiped away some sweat and collapsed against a bench and he went to sit down next to her, grabbing a bottle of water. He drank some and offered her the bottle, which she took and took grateful gulps. She wiped her mouth, "Thanks." Mori nodded once.

They both sat on the bench, Mori being silent as he looked out the door and saw some of his fans looking at him. They squealed when they realized he was looking at them. Mira noticed it as well and looked up at her fellow third year, "Captain?" She asked, getting his attention, "I know I've only known you for, like, a day, but…" She looked down at her hands, "Do I look like the kind of girl who would date someone?" Mori looked at her, somewhat confused, "I mean, like, anyone. Male or female." Her blue eyes looked into his, begging him to answer. Mori remained silent and she sighed, looking away, "My sister's worried about me. I'm somewhat wary of men and their intentions, especially at our age. God knows what kind of thoughts run through their head when they see anything female, but she says it's not right for me to be a third-year and not ever have a boyfriend, and she thinks I'll get too dependant on my family. I don't have a whole lot of friends, and… is that weird? I mean, that I like my family more than other people?" Mori smiled a little and put his hand on her head. She looked up at him and saw his smile.

"It's not weird." He said, Mira's eyes widened, that was the first time he'd said anything to her at all! "Don't worry so much." The bell rang outside and Mori got up, she followed.

"Hey, mind guarding the shower for me again?" She asked, Mori nodded and Mira smiled.

* * *

Mira walked out of the stall, scrubbing at her hair, "Thanks again, you two." She said, looking at them. "I'm going with you to the host club, by the way."

"Are you going to designate us?" Honey asked excitedly, Mira jumped slightly at his sudden eagerness.

"Um… no." She said, "My sister's at the host club, most likely, so I'm going to grab her and go home." Honey's face fell.

"Oh…" He sulked and walked beside his cousin, "Are you sure, Mira-chan? The host club is really fun."

Mira visibly gagged, "You want me to waste my time around a bunch of man-whores? Yeah, right." She stopped when she realized what she had just said, "Uh, no offense or anything."

"Why would we take offense to that?" Honey asked, "Is a man-whore a bad thing?" (Mira does anime fall) She stared at Honey incredulously.

"You seriously don't know what that is?" She asked, Honey shook his head, looking up at her with big, innocent eyes, "Aren't you my age?"

"Yeah." Honey said, Mira grimaced and looked away.

"Ask him what it means later." She jabbed her thumb at Mori as she walked away. "Let's just get out of here." She grabbed her bag and Mori and Honey followed suit.

* * *

"Wow Haruhi! This blend is really good!" A girl exclaimed, drinking a tea that Haruhi had given her. "Did you make this yourself?"

"Sure, I prepared a lot of the tea today." She said, "I hope you guys like it." She saw the girls blush when she gave them a smile.

"Oh, absolutely, Haruhi-kun!" Another girl exclaimed, "Your tea is exceptional!"

"I'm so glad to hear that." She replied. The girls blushed again. She looked to see all of the girls designating her at that time had taken all the teacups, and some were empty. "I'd better get some more tea. Do you mind waiting on me?"

"Not at all, Haruhi-kun!"

"It's fine, Haruhi-kun!"

"Take your time, Haruhi-kun!" She gave them one last smile as she picked up the tray and went to get more tea in another room. She passed by Tamaki's table where he was entertaining his guests, one of them was Isabella Marino. Since the incident with her sister yesterday, some rumors had popped up about her. All of them about the relationship with her sister. Some were that her sister was really protective of Isabella's 'purity.' Another said that her sister was abusive and didn't like it when she spent time with other people. Haruhi almost rolled her eyes at the thought, the things these people thought of…

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice Mori and Honey come in, with Mirabelle in between them.

"Yo!  _Iz_ - _zee_!" She called, Isabelle turned to see her sister, "Let's get a move on, Izzy-Bizzy-bee!" Isabelle blushed at the nickname.

"I thought I told you not to call me that anymore!" She whined, standing as Mira came over. Mira looked a little bewildered for a moment, but Isabelle knew she was faking it.

"Really? Must've slipped my mind." She said, shrugging nonchalantly. She grabbed her sister's wrist, "Come on, we're outta here."

"Mira, did you think about what I said this morning?" Isabella asked, pulling her wrist back. Mira sent her a dubious look.

"Yeah, what of it?" She asked.

"Well, what did you come up with?" Isabella asked. Mira sighed.

"That I'm happy with who I am and don't give a damn about what anyone thinks." She said, grabbing her wrist again, "Let's go."

" _Mira_! That's what you said last time we talked about this!" Isabella whined, pulling her wrist back, "I'm serious! I want you to think about it!"

"I  _did_  think about it!" Mira argued, "I'm only telling you the outcome of my thoughts whenever you ask me about it!"

"What do you think ' _it_ ' is?" One of the girls whispered to their friend at Tamaki's table. Her friend shrugged in the classic 'I dunno' gesture.

"But I want you to actually-!"

"For the love of  _God_ , Izzy!" Mira snapped, "I don't think like you! I'm not  _like_  you! Or did you get even more air-headed at this freaking school? Just because I don't agree with you and your plastic friends doesn't mean there's something wrong with me!"

"They're not plastic!" Isabella yelled, "They just like to look nice for everyone! Unlike  _someone_  I know."

" _Annnd_  it begins!" Mira said, throwing her hands up, "It's always about me not looking like you! You're embarrassed to be around me! That's it, isn't it?"

"I never said that!" Isabella snapped.

"You didn't have to!" Mira snapped, jabbing an accusing finger, "It's written all over your make-up covered face!"

"Uh, girls…" Tamaki said, trying to ease the fighting between the two, but he was ignored.

"It is not!"

"It is too! I'm family, I can tell!"

"You know, sometimes I wish you weren't my family!"

"Oh, believe me, princess. You're not the  _only one_  who wants that!"

Isabella let out a loud shriek, stamping her foot, "You're so  _infuriating_! You just make me-!"

"Make you what?"

"You make me so gosh-darn  _mad_!" Mira snorted.

"'Gosh-darn?' That's the best you can come up with?"

"Well, unlike  _you_ , I was born with the X-chromosome, so I behave like a lady!" Mira looked at her sister for a second before glaring fiercely at her. "If you were more like  _me_ , you wouldn't have to deal with boys thinking you're another boy!"

"At least I actually have the backbone to stand up for myself! Unlike you, I'm not so willing to give away my virginity at  _freaking fourteen_!" There was a collective gasp from the girls around them. "Do you know how much trouble I was in for kicking his ass for you? If you were more like  _me_ , you wouldn't have to deal with that crap!" She grabbed her wrist, "We're going.  _Now!_!" She started to drag her to the door, but Isabella pulled back before they went through. Haruhi opened the door just as the sudden backlash from Isabella's release caused Mira's hand to hit the tray of tea. In shock, Haruhi dropped the tray and the tea-filled teacups and teapot. The obviously expensive tea set crashed against the floor, shattering every cup and pot. Mirabella, Isabella, Haruhi and everyone else stared at the broken set in silence, stunned by the sudden event. Kyoya's eyes glinted dangerously behind his glasses when he saw the broken set. Everyone waited with baited breath for someone,  _anyone_  to say something to break the tense silence. Mira was the only one to do that and said only a single syllable.

"Shit."


	5. Chapter 5 - Work Day One

5

Mira looked down at the shattered remains of the tea set. She heard the footsteps of someone coming up behind her and looked to see a second-year boy with dark hair and a pair of glasses step forward.

"Mirabella Marino, correct?" He asked, Mira nodded slowly. He adjusted his glasses, "Do you realize you just broke an antique Hikotari brand set of tea cups?" She looked down at the shattered remains of teacups.

"Antique?" She repeated, "How old?"

"At least sixty years." He said, Mira grimaced.

" _Shit_." She said quietly.

"And it was Hikotari," He continued, "The new sets of tea are worth a good deal of money."

"I can pay for it." She said quickly, "I'll pay for it, every last cent."

"Are you sure about that?" He questioned, "It's a lot of money."

"I can pay it. I'll do what I have to." She said, "I'll even work it off." Kyoya's eyes glinted evilly.

"Would you be willing to get that in writing?" He asked.

"Sure, why not?" She said, Kyoya smirked.

"Very well then, the amount of a sixty year old Hikotari tea set is worth," He pulled out a pad of paper, "Is 750,000 yen."

"WHAT?" Mira exclaimed, "I don't have 750,000 yen! You gotta be kidding me!"

"Short on cash?" Kyoya asked mockingly, she glared at him.

"I've only got 2,500 on me right now." She said, "And I've only got 20,000 in my savings account."

"That 22,500 for the set." Kyoya said, "Only 727,500 more to go." He smirked. Mira grimaced.

"… _Shiiiit._ "

* * *

"I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I HATE HIM!" Mira growled as she stared at the contract she signed, "I hate that malicious little bastard! He's demonic! The son of Satan! He's evil, evil, evil, EVIL!" She was tempted to rip it in half, crumple it into a ball and throw it in a fireplace, "Do you see this?  _Do you see this?_! There's so much freaking fine print! Did this guy learn to make a contract with no loopholes at all? This sucks! I hate that guy!" Isabella was silent as Mirabella ranted about Kyoya's contract. " _God_! He doesn't even give me a chance to decline whatever freakish assignments he gives me! I  _knew_  that club was bad news!" Realizing her sister had not said a word to her, she looked over to see Isabelle staring straight ahead of her, "Are you even listening to my rant?"

"Yes." She answered.

"Well, don't." Mira advised, "You know how I get when I rant."

"I also know how you get when you're mad!" Isabella said, stepping out in front of her sister and glaring at her, "You say the most insulting and horrible things! I told you about Henry so I could get it off my chest, not for you to scream it out in front of all of the people I know!" She glared at her, and Mira glared back.

"So what?" She asked.

"So  _what?_  So do you know what those people already said about me?" She asked, "Now they know…" She lowered her voice, "They know about me losing my virginity! They'll think I'm a whore!"

"If they think you're a whore, then they're not really your friends." Mira said, pushing past her, "Quit worrying about junk like that, it's pointless anyway."

"That's because the only rumors that revolve around you are pointless!" Isabella said.

"Oh, come on!" Mira said, "They're rumors, anyone with brains knows they're not true."

* * *

Is it true your sister's abusive tendencies left you in pain at night?

Did you really have to sell your body to make ends meet when you were young?

Is it true your sister would give you to strange men for a night so you and your family could eat?

These were the texts that Isabella kept receiving. Along with other ones from people she didn't know calling her 'Whore' and 'Slut.' She silently glared at Mira as she worked on her homework, unaware of her younger sister's inner turmoil.

"You're a terrible sister." She said, Mira didn't look up at her as she scribbled something down on her paper.

"So I've been told." She replied, "That's gotta be the tenth time you've said that."

"Because it's true!" Isabella hissed, "Everyone from Ouran is grilling me about my life because of what you said." Mira looked up at her and Isabelle was surprised to see her face. She looked… remorseful.

"Look, Izzy," She began gently, "I'm sorry. I was angry, and impatient and it just slipped out. If I could go back in time and make it so I never said it at all, I would. I'm  _sorry_." Isabella sighed, glaring at her phone as she received another text.

"I know." She said, "But I think it'd be healthy for you to be a little guilty. And just because I know you're sorry doesn't mean I forgive you."

"I know." Mira said, "You're the kind of girl that holds grudges for days." Isabella nodded in confirmation, "And I'm gonna be all pissy from working for that club every day for the next few months, so this is gonna really suck."

"You deserve it." Isabella said angrily. Mira rolled her eyes and went back to her homework.

"Right…" She murmured sarcastically.

* * *

Mira looked over at Honey as he skipped beside her, they couldn't do kendo practice today, so they were headed straight for the host club. "Yay! Yay! Mira-chan's coming to the host club!"

"Don't get so excited." Mira said, adjusting the shoulder strap of her bag. "It's only temporary, once I fill out my end of the contract, I am  _long_  gone." They walked past a long line of girls as they stood outside the third music room, all of them staring at phones or watches, "I thought the club didn't open for another hour."

"It doesn't." Honey confirmed, "They just want to be the first ones inside." Mira quirked an eyebrow curiously at the girls, who seemed to completely ignore her presence.

"Weird…" She mumbled to herself. They pushed past the door and Mira saw the other members of the host club. They walked around as decorations were put up for the day, Tamaki looked over at her and smiled, walking over to her with a princely flourish.

"Welcome, young princess, to the host club!" He said, he took her hand in both of his, "Truly, we are sorry that you had to break our tea set. But I assure you, your time here will be worthwhile, for I promise you-" She dug her nails into his flesh as she pulled him over and stomped on his toe with the heel of her shoe. "OW! Ouch, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Personal space." She told him as she walked around him, "Prissy weirdo." At the insult, Tamaki instantly went into his corner to grow mushrooms.

"Ah, Marino-san." Kyoya greeted calmly as Mira raised a curious eyebrow at the princely host in the corner, "Glad to see you made it on time." He held out a bag to her, "I'll need you to change into these. Your job is simply to serve tea to the customers, as well as get the necessary supplies for the day if we ask it, understand?" Mira sent him a glare and snatched the bag from his hands.

"Yeah, whatever." She said, "You got a place I can change?" Kyoya nodded and pointed her in the direction of a stall with a curtain. She sighed and walked in, the other hosts following her with their eyes.

"Kyoya-sempai, is this really a good idea?" Haruhi asked, looking up at him.

"She broke the tea set and offered to work off the payment." Kyoya said, "This is no different from when you started at the host club as our dog. Having free labor is always a good investment, no matter how long it lasts."

"You really think she'll do this willingly?" Hikaru asked as he and his twin came over.

"Marino-sempai doesn't seem like the type to do this sort of thing happily." Kaoru remarked as he put his arm around his brother's shoulders.

"I doubt she is." Kyoya said, "But she seems to be very prideful and stubborn. Normally, this would be a bad combination, but in this case, her pride would not allow her to receive any help in paying me back, and her stubbornness would make it so she keeps on paying every last cent until the very end. Granted, she won't be happy about it, but I think we can manage."

"Kyoya-san!" He turned as he heard Mira's voice from the changing room, "I know it was labeled in the contract that I'm supposed to wear the costumes you give me…" She pulled open the curtain to reveal her wearing a frilly, bright blue maid's outfit covered in lace with white panty hose, lacy maid's hat, and little blue-heeled shoes. "But do I really have to wear  _this?_ " Kyoya smirked.

"Yes, you do." He said, "You serve tea like a maid, I find it appropriate you dress as one." She glared at him and let out a grunt of frustration. Tamaki looked at her costume and smiled.

"Mira-chan! You look cute!" Tamaki gushed, getting over what she said earlier, "Like a little china doll!" He moved to hug her, but she pushed him back.

"Don't touch me." She growled, "And don't call me 'Mira-chan' either. It's either my last name or my entire first name, only my family can call me Mira-anything." "I call you Mira-chan." Honey spoke up from Mori's shoulders.

"That's only because no matter how many times I tell you not to, you do." Mira said, looking up at her classmate. They heard a clock go off, saying it was now four O'clock. Every member of the host club suddenly jumped up.

"INTO YOUR POSITIONS!" Tamaki yelled, the host club suddenly went into a frenzy, getting into the right positions for when the girls came in. Mira rolled her eyes as she prepared the tea, looking as the girls opened the doors and saw the host club sitting together as they greeted them. She could've sworn they had hearts in their eyes. She finished making the tea and poured them into cups as she began to serve them.

She went to Tamaki's table first, seeing as he had the most customers, "Here ya go." She said, setting the tray in front of them.

"Thank you, Mirabella-chan." Tamaki said, Mira said nothing as she began handing girls their tea.

"Who's this, Tamaki-kun?" One of his customers asked.

"Ah, forgive me, this is Mirabella Marino." Tamaki said, "She's working for us temporarily, until she's able to pay us back for breaking a tea set the other day."

"Mirabella Marino?" Another girl questioned, she looked up at her.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"As in Isabella's older sister?" She asked.

"Yeah, what of it?" Mira asked, standing up straight and putting her hands on her hips defensively, giving the girl an if-you-talk-smack-about-my-family-you're-dead look.

"Oh… Nothing." The girl replied nervously, looking away.

"I have a question." A silkier voice said. Mira looked to see a girl with long black hair and sharp grey eyes. She calmly sipped from her tea and stared up at her. Mira could just tell from looking at her that she was spoiled, her skin looked perfectly flawless, probably from using expensive skin care products, and her make up made her look like she just walked out of a salon, meaning she probably had some crazy-amazing live-in specialist to do it for her. She put her cup down on the table in front of her with movements that seemed graceful and elegant, she had had an etiquette teacher growing up.

"And what  _is_  your question, Miss Prissy Pants?" Mira asked.

"Tell me, Mirabella-sempai." She began, "I've heard that you're rather abusive to your younger sister, is this because you're sister is the largest whore in all of Japan? Then again, she must be a pretty clean whore compared to the rest of America." She laughed haughtily. The girls around her gave her wary looks as Mira clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"Kaila-sempai…" One of the girls murmured.

"That's going too far." Her friend scolded. Kaila waved it off.

"Oh please, it's not like she can actually put together a proper Japanese sentence." Kaila scoffed. She gasped when Mira's hand shot out and fisted her collar in her fingers, bringing her up to her face. This caught the attention of everyone in the room.

"Listen to me, you stuck-up, snooty little  _bitch_." Mira growled, "Me, you can insult, but if you  _ever_  call my sister a whore, I would be more than pleased to shove my hand down your throat, grab your intestines, chop them up and serve them in your friends next  _cup of tea_! So you better watch that pompous mouth of yours, got it?" Kaila gaped up at her in fear as she threw her back into her seat. "Fucking bitch!"

Isabella was not at school that day because she had troubles breathing that morning, so she didn't know about this until after it had occurred, "I don't hit my sister, I don't sell her off, and she's  _not_  a whore!" Mira yelled, she turned to the girls around her, "And if I hear  _any_  of you badmouthing her again, I'll hunt you down and  _gut you like a fish!_!"

"Marino-san." Kyoya called sharply. Mira turned to him, glaring, "A word." He beckoned her to follow him and she did so. He led her into a room in the back and shut the door behind them. The hosts all shared wary glances with each other, and they ended the club early, shuffling all the girls out the doors.

No sooner had all the girls left, they all heard a loud, "Oh, HELL no!" from the other side of the door that led to the room Kyoya and Mira were in. She pushed open the doors, storming out, Kyoya walking calmly out after her. "No way, uh-uh, NOT happening!"

"I'm not giving you a choice." Kyoya said, "You signed the contract, now you have to deal with it."

"Okay, serving tea to these airheads is bad enough, but I am  _not_  cleaning up after them!" Mira protested.

"There is to be no argument about this." Kyoya said firmly, "After what just happened, there's no way that you can serve tea without our customers being afraid of you. This will cause a drop in customer percentage, and that is something I can't have."

"Oh yeah, because money makes the world go 'round, don't it?" Mira said sarcastically.

"Yes it does." Kyoya replied dryly. Mira glared at him, "Look at it this way: it's only for a week and now you have more time to practice kendo." Mirabella let out a groan and dragged her hand down her face.

"You are  _so_  the son of Satan…" She muttered.


	6. Chapter 6 - Sick Day

6

Mirabella yawned as she walked down the stairs, she walked to the dining room with her eyes half open. Mornings were  _so_  not her thing. She stood up straight and opened her eyes wide as she saw her father sitting at the table along with her brothers, Alfonso and Kenneth, who looked just as surprised as she did. Normally, her father was working hard instead of eating at the family table. He was a well-aged man in his late fifties, with graying hair and dark green eyes. Laugh lines had grown on his face, and he looked perfectly content just sitting at the table's head, reading a newspaper, drinking coffee, and eating pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs.

Her brothers, Alfonso and Kenneth, were fraternal twins. Alfonso was just as tall as their father was, 6'2", and had spiky brown hair with black streaks in it here and there. He had a stud on his eyebrow and a ring hanging off the cartilage of his ear. He wore his normal graphic t-shirt and frayed jeans with his lucky wristband decorated in red, white, and blue stripes. Kenneth was shorter than Alfonso by two inches, so he was 6 feet exactly. He had sandy blonde hair that was cut to look professional and wore a pair of oval-shaped glasses with silver rims. He always dressed for success, so he wore a white collared shirt and a pair of khaki pants. The only thing that looked out of place was a small black bracelet on his left hand that was a simple color except for the words 'Born of Fire' which was the meaning of his name. He said it always made him feel a little empowered.

Mirabella's father looked up from his paper and smiled at her, "Good morning, Mira."

"Good morning, Papa." Mira replied as she took a seat next to Alfonso. She gave him a look that said 'what is going on?' Her brother only replied with an 'I dunno' shrug.

"Ready for school today?" Her father asked, smiling kindly at her. She nodded.

"As I'll ever be." She said, "Um, Papa… Is something up? I mean, you don't normally eat meals with us…"

"I decided to use some of my unused free time to stay at home for today." He said before taking a sip of his coffee.

"That's the only reason?" Mira asked, her father nodded, but she didn't believe him. She elbowed Alfonso, silently demanding an explanation. He leaned in close to her.

"Izzy couldn't make it out of bed again today," He whispered, "So he decided to stay home and help out with the nurses." Mira's mouth made an 'O' shape in realization. Recently, Isabella's bronchitis had gotten worse. Mira could hear her coughs from her room, and that was at the other end of the hall. She looked at her empty plate sadly, as much as any of the siblings hated to admit it, Isabella was turning out a lot like their mother.

"Mirabella," Kenneth said, "Don't you need to leave for school in a few minutes?" Mira looked up at him in surprise before looking at a clock on the wall and realized that if she wanted to be on time for school, she'd have to leave in the next five minutes.

" _Shoot!_ " She said as she grabbed a bagel and a piece of toast, "I gotta go! Love you guys, bye!" She said in a rush as she grabbed her bag and ran out the door to her car.

"Love you, too." Her dad said, knowing she probably didn't hear him over the door slamming. He looked over at his sons, "Don't you boys have work to do?"

"I'm working from home." Kenneth said. Both men looked over at Alfonso, who looked back at them and then sighed reluctantly.

"I'm goin'." He said as he got up from his seat and left the dining room.

* * *

Mira felt her head slip from her hand as she tried to prop it up. Although she would never say this to Takanawa-sensei's face, her classes were so boring! Normally, she loved literature, but this…

"In the story of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe," She said in a slow, drawling voice as she lectured the students, "We hear the story from a first person narrative…" Mira restrained from groaning aloud as she held her head in both hands.

"This is  _torture_!" She whispered under her breath so no one would hear. She looked over at Honey, who was taking notes diligently, like a good student. She vaguely wondered how he could pay attention to any of this, and then began to wonder if he had had a teacher like this before. She looked over at Mori, who sat next to him, and saw that he looked just as bored as she did, scribbling something down on the paper in front of him. Mira curiously thought about Mori's skills in the art of doodling, but then she realized that Mori was probably just as good a student as Honey, so he was taking notes. He just always had the bored look on his face. Mira's thoughts began to wander as she began to think Mori was born with that look on his face. She almost laughed aloud at the thought of him as a baby, coming out of the womb, looking like he had been born a million times over, and the act was getting  _old_.

"Marino-san." Mira shot up at the mention of her name and looked to the front of the class, where Takanawa-sensei was practically glaring at her from her spot in front of the black board, "Can you tell us at what point in Poe's life this story was written?" Mira shrugged.

"I honestly have no clue." She said, "I just read the stories and focus on the meanings, not the dates when they're made." The teacher's eyebrow gave a small, irritated twitch before returning to the lecture. Mira zoned out once more, and looked to the window, seeing the flower garden from before. She smiled a little at the sight of the flowers, she had heard about the flower maze, and had never gone inside it. Maybe getting lost for a little while would be fun.

* * *

Mira had never gone to the cafeteria for lunch. She wasn't even that hungry anyway, so she went out to the maze. She looked at all the roses she passed, making mental notes of which ways she took so she could get out on time for her next class. She took a right and came upon an interesting sight. She saw a boy in the school's uniform, with long, bright red hair, sitting over a pond, taking some bread and tossing it into the water. She saw the water ripple as little fish from the pond came up and ate it. She stepped forward and was about to ask to join him, but her foot stepped on a stick, making a sound. The boy's face instantly turned to her and Mira froze at the scary face he made. He must not have been scowling pretty fiercely to make that face at her. It was a tiny scowl, but it was still a scowl.

"Uh, sorry." She said, "I didn't mean to bother you." He just kept staring at her.

"What do you want?" He asked, Mira paused and kept looking at the boy's scowling face.

"Um, I…" She took a deep breath in and out, "I was just wondering if I could join you." His eyebrows rose, "You're feeding fish, right? Is it okay if I join you?" He nodded and scooted over on the bench he sat on to make room for her. She sat next to him and tore off a piece of the bread he held and crushed it into little pieces before tossing it out over the water and watching the koi fish come up and eat it. The boy did the same with his own chunk of bread and they sat in silence. Mira looked over at the boy, and their eyes met, and she scowled when she realized he was still scowling at her.

"What?" He asked her.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Mira asked. The boy's face changed a little to one of surprise, then back to the tiny scowl.

"It's not on purpose." He said, "I was just born with this face. I don't mean to give you the wrong impression." Mira stopped scowling at him.

"Oh. Sorry." She said as she reached over and took another chunk of bread.

"Don't worry about it." The boy said as she threw the bread out over the water, "I've seen you around sometimes, what's your name?"

"Mirabella Marino." She said, "What's yours?"

"Ritsu Kasanoda." He replied, "Nice to meet you." Mira nodded.

"Likewise." Mira replied, "What year are you, Kasanoda-san?"

"Third year." He said, "You are too, right?"

"Yeah. How'd you guess?" Mira asked.

"You look old enough." He said, "That, and I see you come out of the 3-A class." He gave a small smirk, that would've looked devious at first glance, but Mira understood that it was only playful. She smirked back.

"That'd be a pretty big clue." She said, "What class are you in? Because you're obviously not in mine."

"1-D." He said.

"Ah." Mira replied.

She and Kasanoda continued to chat idly about different subjects, getting to know one another. Mira learned that he was the son of a gang boss, and was expected to take over the 'family business' when he graduated. Turns out, he's nothing like a gang banger. He's actually very kind and sweet. Kasanoda learned about her famous incident at the host club, both the tea set incident and the one that got her put on janitor duty, and had given her a pat on the back for it, saying how Kaila 'deserved what she got.' They kept talking more and more, and then they ran out of bread to feed the fish, so they got up and started walking side by side as they left the maze. By the time they reached the exit, the clock tower's bell rang, saying that lunch was over and class time was now. They exchanged goodbyes and went their separate ways for their classes.

* * *

Kendo class had been cancelled that day due to some constructional changes they were making to the gym. Nobody really minded, but now Mira was bored with nothing to do, so she just walked along the halls with Mori and Honey as they went to help set up the host club early that day. They reached the clubroom to see the decorations were still being put up for today's theme, which apparently was 'pirates'.

"Mira-sempai!" The two twins called out as they ran over, dressed in identical pirate garb. They both had red bandanas on over their hair, with torn white shirts and black vests with worn out looking pants and fake earrings on their ears. The only difference between them was what ear each earring was on, and they had eye patches on the opposite eye of their brother's.

"How many times do I have to tell you idiots to stop calling me Mira?" She growled, the twins pushed an outfit in front of her face.

"Put this on!" The demanded. Mira looked to see it was an elegant ballroom like gown, with elbow length sleeves with lacy infringes and a square neckline. It was all different shades of purple covered in pink ribbons. She looked back at the twins questioningly.

"Why?" She asked slowly.

"It's for today's theme." Kaoru said.

"Yeah, what's a pirate ship without some fair maidens?" Hikaru said. Mira scowled and threw the dress back in their arms.

"Feed that line to your customers." She said, "Did you forget? I'm not allowed to show my face until  _after_  the club's meeting." The twins shared a glance before looking back at her.

"So what? We don't care." They said. They shoved the dress back at her.

"Just put it on." Hikaru said.

"It'll make you feel like you're part of the action anyway." Kaoru said.

"No." Mira insisted, shoving the dress back.

"Yes." The twins replied, shoving the dress at her.

"No!" Mira said, shoving it back harder than before.

"Yes!" The twins said, shoving it twice as hard as she did.

"No!" Mira shoved it to them.

"Yes!" The twins shoved it to her.

" _No!_ " Mira shoved it to the twins.

" _Yes!_ " The twins shoved it to her.

"No, and nothing you can say will make me!" Mira said as she snatched the dress from them and dropped it on top of their heads. She walked away from them, thinking the argument was settled, she didn't see the twins' devious faces as they shouted,

"Oh,  _Boss~_!"

Tamaki looked over at them dressed in a turquoise captain's outfit.

"Yes, what is it?" He asked the twins.

"We want Mira-sempai to wear this dress." Hikaru said as he presented it to him.

"But she won't put it on." Kaoru said as Tamaki took the dress from them to get a better look at it.

"There's no point in me wearing it!" Mira said, "I'm not even gonna be seen today, so why should I?"

"Mira-sempai, I think you'd look cute in this." Tamaki said as he put the dress over her front, "Go put it on."

"No!" Mira said, "I don't need to!"

"Yes, you do." Kyoya replied, "If Tamaki tells you to do it, then do it. He  _is_  the club's king, after all." Mira scowled at him.

"Fine." Mira growled as she snatched the dress from Tamaki's hands. She marched over to the changing room and shut the curtain as she began to change out of her uniform.

"By the way, Mira-sempai…" Tamaki's voice came from the other side of the curtain.

"Stop calling me Mira!" She growled, Tamaki didn't bother to correct himself.

"I haven't seen Isabella-chan in a while." Tamaki said, "Is she alright?" Mira didn't reply, she just kept undressing from her uniform to put on the dress, "Mira-sempai?"

"Izzy…" She began in a soft voice, "Izzy's very sick. That's why she couldn't come to school today." She began to pull on the dress.

"Sick with what, exactly?" Tamaki asked, Mira was still quiet as she pulled up the zipper for the dress.

"She's… She's just sick." She said, "Look, I don't like talking about it, okay?"

"Why not?" Tamaki asked.

"Because I just don't!" Mira snapped, "So drop it, alright?" Tamaki flinched back from the curtain, frightened at the sudden outburst. He looked back to Kyoya, who didn't even look up from his laptop as his fingers pounded against the keys.

"I don't know what she's sick with, so don't ask me." He said, "Are you almost done, Mira-sempai?"

"Yeah, almost." Mira said, "I just can't get the zipper up all the way."

"Do you need help, Mira-chan?" Honey asked.

"No, I think…" A few quiet grunts were heard before she let out an, "Ow!" because the zipper had pinched her skin, "Yeah, I need help."

"Haru-chan!" Honey called out to the cross-dressing girl, "Will you help Mira-chan with her dress?" Haruhi, dressed in a little cabin boy's outfit, turned to the third year.

"Yeah, sure." Haruhi said. She opened the curtain and saw Mira still trying to pull up the zipper on the purple dress. She walked over behind her and pulled up the zipper, but stopped when she reached her upper back. "It won't… budge!" She grunted.

"Jeez!" Mira grunted as the dress was suddenly much tighter around her chest, "I can't  _breathe_! What's with this dress?" She sucked in her stomach and made her chest fall and Haruhi pulled the zipper up the rest of the way. Mira gasped when the dress was finally on her and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress had most of her measurements in body width and length, but not in chest. It was too tight, and it made her cleavage far too obvious. Her face twisted into one of irritation and anger and she pulled open the curtain. "You two!" She pointed at the twins, who looked at her with wide eyes, specifically at her chest. "Where the  _hell_  did you find this dress?"

"We made it." The twins replied.

"We didn't know all your measurements when we made the dress." Hikaru said, staring at her chest.

"So we took a guess on the big three." Kaoru said, "Apparently the chest measurement wasn't quite big enough…"

"You  _think?_!" Mira growled, "What size did you pick?" The twins looked at each other before looking back at her.

"We picked 32-C." They said.

"You  _idiots_! I'm a 38-D!" Mira said, she pushed Haruhi out of the changing room, "I am getting  _out_  of this thing!" She quickly shut the curtain and practically pulled the dress off of her body. She quickly changed back into her uniform shirt and pants, leaving the tie loose around her neck and not caring about wearing the jacket. She walked out of the changing room, rearranging her ponytail as best she could, "If you need me, I'll be waiting in the back." She pointed to a room that the customers weren't allowed to go in. The room, oddly enough, was where all the music instruments had been stored from before the host club. The only instrument she knew how to play was the electric guitar, but she was fairly certain that a school as fancy as Ouran wouldn't dare keep an instrument like that for a student band class. She was walking away when she felt two things grab onto her ankles, she looked down and saw the twins looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"Mira-sempai, are you mad?" They asked, Mira's eyebrow twitched.

"It's not  _Mira_ , it's  _Mirabella_!" She snarled, "And considering how  _great_  things have been for me," She sent a small glare to Kyoya, "Yes. I'm mad." She tried to walk but the twins hung onto her. She let out an annoyed huff, she turned to them with her scariest 'Mira is not pleased face'. " _Get off me!_!" They immediately recoiled and she stormed away. She went to the back room and closed the door, glaring at the cleaning supplies Kyoya had set out for her use later. She found an old plastic chair and slammed down into it, "God hates me."

* * *

Mira heard a knocking at the door of the back room, "Time to clean up, already?" She asked, turning to whoever was opening the door. She was surprised to see Mori and Honey as opposed to Kyoya, "What are you guys doing in here? Don't you have customers to host?"

"We do." Honey said, "But we felt bad about Mira-chan being left all by herself, so we brought you some cake!" He held up a plate of chocolate cake, covered in chocolate icing, "Do you like chocolate?"

"Is there a girl who doesn't?" Mira asked jokingly as she took the plate from him. Honey smiled at her as she looked around the plate for a fork, "Um, I need a-" She stopped, seeing the silverware was being held in front of her face by Mori. She took the fork from his long fingers, "Thanks." She took a bite of the cake and smiled, licking the chocolate icing off her lips, "Mm, this is good!"

"You like it?" Honey asked eagerly, "I wasn't sure you'd like it because it was chocolate, and a lot of girls me and Takashi know prefer strawberry over chocolate. I had the chefs make it with this special fudge from Switzerland because they make the best chocolate ever. The cocoa beans it's made from are all the way from a special garden in Jamaica, and I heard that they were really…" Mira tuned herself out as she kept eating the cake.

"This is really good." Mira said, "You know, they may say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but the truth is, it's actually chocolate." She took another bite of the cake, "Seriously, thanks." Honey gave her a huge smile.

"You're welcome!" He practically cheered, "Come on, Takashi," He grabbed his cousin's hand, "We have some girls waiting for us." He dragged Mori out of the room, Mira waved goodbye to him, and he gave a small wave back as they shut the door. Mira sat back down in the plastic chair and kept eating the gourmet cake happily.

* * *

Isabella looked up at the ceiling of her room before letting out another rough coughing fit that almost sent her over her bed. Her father caught her before she fell and helped her get back into bed. "Thanks, Papa." She rasped, looking up at him, she let out a much less violent cough and a nurse came in, offering her a glass of water. She declined it and the nurse left it on the nightstand beside her bed for later. Isabella looked over at her father, "When's the doctor coming?"

"He should be here any minute." Her father assured, "Just rest. I don't want my  _picolo bellezia_  to be tired for when he comes." Isabella nodded and lay back against the sheets, closing her eyes.

* * *

Mira looked up at Kyoya as he opened the doors, "Everyone's gone, time to get to work." She sighed and got up from her seat, grabbing the cake-less plate that Honey had given her.

"Yeah, yeah." She grumbled, grabbing a broom on her way out. She looked around the room, seeing the props still laying around. She sighed, "I'm going to have to clean those up, too, aren't I?" Kyoya said nothing, smirking his smirk that Mira found so evil. "Demon." She began to pick up some of the fake golden coins that lay about on the floor.

* * *

"Alright, breathe in." The doctor said, holding a stethoscope to Isabella's chest. She did as he said and breathed in, and out, in, and coughed. The doctor let out a small hum that made her and her father nervous, "What did you say you were diagnosed with?"

"Chronic bronchitis." Isabella's father said, "Why?"

"I think there may have been a misdiagnosis." The doctor said gravely as he removed the stethoscope from his ears, "This is much more serious than it looks." Isabella and her father shared nervous glances, hoping it wasn't what they thought it was.

* * *

"Mira-chan!" Honey called out to her as she swept away the remnants of any dust or leftovers from the host club customers. She looked over at him, "Did you hear? Kendo will be open tomorrow!" Mira smiled.

"Really? I'm glad to hear it." She said, "I really didn't want to just clean up this club for the rest of the year. Some sparring ought to do me good." Honey cheered and skipped back to his cousin. Mira smiled and shook her head at her classmate, thinking,  _He is such a child._

"Mira-sempai!" Tamaki called, "What do you think we should do for tomorrow's theme?" He pranced over to her, holding out a pair of magazines, "I don't know whether to go with 'detectives'," He held up one magazine that had a picture of a man in a brown overcoat like the detectives in old movies, "Or 'cowboys of the west'." He showed her a magazine with a picture of  _Walker, Texas Ranger_  on the cover. "What do you think?"

"I don't know." Mira replied, "Whichever one's easier to clean up!" She was going to say more but her cellphone rang. She quickly fished it out of her pocket, looking at the caller ID. She saw it was Kenneth and answered, "Whatcha want?" Tamaki looked at her in surprise as she walked away from him chatting casually with her brother.

"Hey, Mommy." Tamaki said to Kyoya, "Don't you think Mira-sempai shouldn't be left out of our club? She's not that bad, and I bet she gets bored sitting in that room all by herself."

"And?" Kyoya asked, not looking up from his laptop as he kept typing, "She's being punished."

"I know, but…" Tamaki began childishly, "She's a girl, like Haruhi. Don't you think she should be with her more? That way, Haruhi could learn to bring out her feminine side, and-" He stopped in surprise when he heard Mira's broom clatter against the floor. She held both hands to her phone, looking at the space in front of her fearfully.

"What did you just say?" She demanded, "Please tell me I heard you wrong."

"You didn't, Mirabella." Kenneth said sadly, "The doctor just confirmed it. Isabella has sickle cell sickness. She's going to go to the hospital to get the proper medicine and come home." Mirabella put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from saying something, whether she would regret it or not. She closed her eyes and a tiny tear trailed out, "Mirabella? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here." She replied, her voice breaking a little, "Are you sure, though? Is that what you heard? You're positive?"

"Yes." Kenneth replied, "It's kind of hard to mistake it for anything else. She must have inherited it from Mom." There was silence on the other end of the line. The host club looked at Mira, not sure what was going on that was getting her so choked up. "You know… Isabella's a fragile girl. We may be men, but the three of us can't support her without breaking something. Why don't you come over to the hospital? You're her sister, after all. You know her better than we do." Mira nodded, wiping away the stray tear that had fallen out.

"Yeah, I'll be there." She said, "Make sure she's still smiling when I show up." She didn't know that, on the other side of the phone, Kenneth smiled.

"You got it." He said, "We took her to this hospital…"

"Uh-huh." Mira said, "Yeah, I got it. I'll see you soon, Ken." She paused for a moment, "Yeah, love you too. Bye." She hung up her phone and dashed for the door.

"Mira-sempai!" Tamaki called out, astonished.

"Where are you going?" The twins demanded.

"I need to get to the hospital!" Mira said, "I'll clean this up before club tomorrow! I promise!" She ran down the halls to get to her car that was waiting outside. The host club shared uncertain glances at her sudden change in behavior. What was so bad that made her react so suddenly?


	7. Chapter 7 - The Secret's Out

7

Tamaki sat Indian style on the floor a look of deep thought on his face as he tried to figure out what had happened to Mira.

"Maybe it's some secret boyfriend from home." Tamaki suggested suddenly, "A boyfriend who used to be in the  _mafia_! Like in The Godfather!"

"Oh, come on, Boss." Hikaru said.

"It's not a boyfriend." Kaoru said, Tamaki shot up in front of them.

"But didn't you hear her at the end?" He asked, "She said, 'I love you, too.' It  _has_  to be a boyfriend!"

"Yeah, but didn't you hear the other parts?" Kaoru asked.

"She also said 'Make sure  _she_ 's still smiling when I get there.' It's not a boyfriend." Hikaru said.

"It's obviously a secret  _girlfriend_!" The twins said, holding up their index fingers.

"A secret… girlfriend…?" Tamaki repeated.

"Yeah, one who was involved with the mafia," Hikaru began.

"But she got into serious trouble because she left." Kaoru continued.

"So she ran away with the Marino family to Japan for safety." Hikaru said.

"All the while, having a secret relationship with Mira-sempai under her father's nose." Kaoru said.

"But the mafia caught up with her and beat her to a pulp." Hikaru said.

"Now Mira-sempai's going to visit her in the hospital." Kaoru said.

"And that's what's happening." The twins said proudly.

"But, Mira-sempai's not a lesbian!" Tamaki said, "How could she have a girlfriend if she's straight?"

"Come on, Boss, think about it." Kaoru said.

"She likes fighting." Hikaru said.

"She hates dresses." Kaoru said.

"She never flirts." Hikaru said.

"And she wears the boy's uniform willingly!" Kaoru said.

"I mean, face it, Boss." Hikaru said.

"She's totally lesbian!" They said at the same time. Tamaki gasped.

"I see!" Tamaki began to cry, "How sad! Her father must not approve of her relationship, so she has no choice but to keep it secret."

"Oh, get real." Haruhi grumbled, "That's not it at  _all_. It could just as well be one of her friends or her family in the hospital. 'She' has nothing to do with it."

"Maybe Mira-chan's mom is sick!" Honey said, "We should go and see if she's okay!"

"Her mother isn't in any Japanese hospital." Kyoya said, everyone turned their attention to him, "She isn't even in the country. Mira-sempai's mother, Leanne Marino, is in a hospital in New York, receiving medical treatment for Acute Sickle Cell Sickness. She wasn't well enough to travel anywhere out of state, much less out of country. And it's her sister who's gone to see the doctor at the hospital to receive medicine for the same treatment. They should both be in school tomorrow."

"He knows  _everything_!" Hikaru cried, holding onto his brother.

"Behold the power of the Shadow-King…" Kaoru murmured fearfully.

"How  _do_  you know that, sempai?" Haruhi asked. Kyoya adjusted his glasses and looked at her.

"Because she went to one of my family's hospitals." He replied with a small, devilish smirk.

* * *

Mira burst through the doors of the examination room and saw her sister sitting on the padded patient's seat with tears in her eyes.

"Mira…!" She cried out, a few tears falling. Mira ran over to her and pulled her into a hug.

"I know, I know." She said in a soothing voice, "It's okay, Izzy. It's okay. Shh…"

"I… I didn't… Even know…" Isabelle said through sobs, "All these years…! W-We thought…!" Mira shushed her.

"I know." Mira said quietly, "We all came from Mama, and she was sick. One of us was bound to have it. But you're going to be fine. You're going to take your medicine, and you're going to be fine." She released her when she saw the door open, and her two older brothers look in sadly. "Where's the doctor?" Isabella pulled away, wiping her tears and sniffling.

"He's on his way." Alfonso said, "We passed by him on the way over here. He's just gone to get the right prescription." He walked over to his sister and put his hand on her shoulder, "You gonna be okay, 'Bella?" She sniffled.

"Once I get my medicine, yeah…" She said brokenly, she wiped at her nose, "Where's Papa?"

"Talking to one of his business partners." Kenneth said, walking next to Mira, "Just called out of the blue, about what, I don't know." Isabella nodded, turning her attention back to the door as a doctor came in.

"Marino-san, I have your medicine." He held up a couple orange bottles filled with pills of all different colors and a small syringe. "I need you to take two of these each day," He pointed to the bottles, "And one of these, as well. And should something go wrong," He brought up the syringe, "You need to inject this into your bloodstream. Understand?" Isabella nodded. The doctor handed her the medicine, said goodbye, and led the four of them out of the room. Their father quickly ran over to them, saying a quick goodbye to the person on the other end of the line, and put his arm around Isabella's shoulders as they walked out to the car that was waiting for them.

* * *

Isabella yawned as she walked down the halls of the school with her sister beside her. The new medicine she had been given made her very drowsy, and she had trouble staying awake in the car ride over to school. Mira nudged her with her elbow.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." Isabella replied, rubbing her eye a little, "It's just the medicine. I need time to get used to it." Mira nodded unsurely and walked over to her locker.

"Hey…" She turned to Isabella, "Why don't you come with me to the host club today? I told them I'd clean up before club started, but I still have a lot of work to do."

"And you want me to help?" Isabella asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, only if you feel like it." Mira said, "And, someone's going to have to explain to them why I'll be late."

"Oh, right." Isabella said, pulling out her books for first period from her locker, "You have kendo practice."

"Yeah, think you could help me with my excuse?" Mira asked, giving her a sheepish smile. Isabella smiled warmly back.

"Sure, anything for my sister." She said, she waved goodbye as she walked to her first class. Mira waved back with a small smile. Once her sister was out of sight, the smile vanished and turned into a sad frown. She turned back to her locker and pulled out her books. She recalled how everybody had said Isabella was just like her mother, in both looks and personality.  _Now she really is just like her…_  She thought to herself, her fingers gripping on the book she held. She slammed her locker door and glared at the metal it was made out of. Then she rammed her fist into it, making a tiny dent.

"How could I let this  _happen_ …?" She whispered angrily to herself.

"How could you let what happen, Mira-chan?" She turned around quickly and saw Honey sitting on top of Mori's shoulders. Honey looked down at her, his big, brown eyes filled with confusion and concern. Mira turned away.

"None of your business." She replied stiffly as she began to walk away. She never once looked back to the two hosts as they looked after her.

* * *

Mira walked through the flower maze during lunch again, not finding the appetite to eat anything. She ended up walking back to the pond from before and saw Ritsu Kasanoda sitting there like last time, feeding the fish.

"Hey." She greeted, he looked up, noticing her for the first time and nodded at her.

"Hey." He replied. He noticed how Mira shifted her feet uncomfortably.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked, Kasanoda nodded again and scooted over on the stone bench to make room for her. She sat down and grabbed a chunk of his bread, rolling up the pieces to be bite-sized for the koi fish and tossing it in the pond water. She sighed as she watched them come up to the surface and devour the bread greedily. She looked over at Kasanoda, who did the same thing she had done to his bread, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Kasanoda replied, looking back at her.

"Have you ever felt like…" Mira tried to find the right words, "Like… you're weak? No, no, not weak. Um… Like… Okay, has something ever happened, and… You thought it was something else for a long, long time. Then someone tells you what actually happened, and… You just…" She sighed, "You feel… Kind of… powerless?" Kasanoda's gaze bore into hers as she spoke, his attention on her the entire time.

"Has that kind of 'something' happened to you?" He asked her.

"I asked you first." Mirabella said. Kasanoda sighed and looked back into the pond water.

"Yeah, once." He said, "It was when I found out about Haruhi." He tossed more bread into the water. Mira quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Haruhi Fujioka?" She questioned, Kasanoda nodded, "What about Haruhi?" Kasanoda turned to her.

"You don't know?" He asked, "I thought you were part of the host club."

"Against my will." Mira corrected, "And I  _don't_  know. What about Haruhi?"

"Oh, well…" Kasanoda scratched behind his head, "I kinda swore I'd keep it secret. If Ootori finds out…"

"If he finds out, I'll tell him I forced it out of you." Mira said quickly, "What's this secret about Haruhi?"

"Well… You know…" Kasanoda said, "About how she's really a girl?" Mira's eyes widened.

" _She's a GIRL?_!" She shouted, Kasanoda quickly shushed her, so she lowered her voice, "I mean, I thought he was really feminine looking for a guy, but she's actually a girl?" Kasanoda nodded quickly, "How'd you find out?"

"Well…" Kasanoda blushed, "I kind of… caught her when she was changing…" Mira snickered.

"Why, Kasanoda-san, you  _dog_!" She teased, "I never knew you were a peeper!"

"I-I'm not!" Kasanoda insisted, his face bright red. Mira laughed.

"Oh, calm down." She said, "Can't you take a joke?" His blush didn't disappear as he looked away. Mira got a calculating look on her face, putting her hand on her chin, "You know, Kasanoda-san…" She got a devilish smirk on her face, "I think you just gave me my power back." She stood up from her seat, "Thanks." She winked at him before she sprinted away, leaving a very confused Kasanoda behind.

* * *

Kyoya tapped his finger on the arm of the couch irritably. Mira was over thirty minutes late, and it annoyed him more than he thought was possible. The twins began getting fidgety, because they had a new outfit for their new dress-up doll and they were getting impatient. Honey had said Mira had attended kendo practice, but he began getting worried that something may have happened while she went to put away her equipment. Mori was his stoic self, but even he was getting a bit worried. Haruhi was perfectly calm, saying that she was just running a little late. Tamaki, however…

"Something bad has happened to her!" Tamaki cried, "She slipped on something, and broke her neck! Or, one of the boys from kendo kidnapped her! Or-"

"Tamaki-sempai calm down." Haruhi said, "I'm sure she's fine. She's just a little late."

"A HALF HOUR ISN'T 'A LITTLE LATE'!" Tamaki insisted. All heads turned when the door opened, revealing one Mirabella Marino with a smug smirk on her face. Tamaki burst into tears, rushed over to her, and pulled her into a tight hug, "Mira-sempai! Daddy was so worried!" Mira pushed him off with a scowl.

"Since when were you my father?" She asked, she looked over at Kyoya as he came closer, that smug smirk returning.

"You're late, Mira-sempai." He said, "I hope you have a good excuse." Mira crossed her arms over her chest.

"I just didn't feel like being on time, that's all." She said, "Is that a  _problem_?" Kyoya's eyebrow twitched irritably, giving her a menacing look that sent all the hosts, except the emotionless Mori, into a huddled group of fear.

"Yes, it is." Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses, "I'll have to add more to your debt." Mira didn't falter, she just kept smirking smugly.

"Oh, I don't think so." She said, "You're not adding anything to a debt, because I  _quit_." She showed him her teeth in her smile.

"You can't quit." Kyoya said, "You signed a contract." Mira pulled out the contract in question and held it out in front of his face.

"What contract?" She asked, before ripping it in half. The rest of the hosts flinched.

"What is she  _doing?_!" The twins asked.

"Is she  _trying_  to make Kyoya her enemy?" Tamaki asked.

"That's a really bad idea…" Haruhi muttered. Kyoya glared at the girl before giving her his own smirk and pulling out a folded piece of paper from the inside of his jacket.

"That's the good thing about business transactions." He said, "You always have a copy."

"And that copy is going to be useless, too." Mira said, "You can't keep me here anymore."

"And why would that be?" Kyoya asked, Mira smiled maliciously, showing all her teeth.

"I have blackmail material." Mira said, "I have information from a very reliable source about the  _truth_  of your host club." Now, Kyoya was interested.

"And what  _truth_  would that be?" He asked, suddenly changing to a calm façade.

"That Haruhi Fujioka isn't who you said!" Mira declared, "I know for a fact that Haruhi is a  _girl_!" Instantly Tamaki jumped up, ready to defend Haruhi's secret.

"No he's not!" Tamaki said quickly, rushing over, "Haruhi's a boy! He's always been a boy!"

"Well, he's a pretty  _feminine_  boy." Mira replied, Tamaki grimaced, and began insisting that Haruhi was a boy in a very fast-talking voice.

"Come on, Tamaki-sempai." Haruhi said, "If she's smart enough to figure it out, then let her know she's right." Tamaki looked back at her in shock, before consenting to what she said and slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"And just who told you that?" Kyoya asked calmly.

"I'm not at liberty to say." Mira answered. Kyoya's face let a small smirk come upon it.

"I've noticed you've been heading to the garden maze for lunch recently." He began randomly, confusing the hosts, but making Mira suddenly a bit tense, "Did you know that an old associate of ours tends to spend a lot of his time there?"

"So what?" Mira asked, putting her hands on her hips in a standoffish kind of way.

"So, I believe you spoke to Mister Ritsu Kasanoda, and coerced it out of him." Kyoya said. He smirked victoriously when he saw her gulp nervously.

"Never heard of him." Mira said quickly, looking down and to the left.

"Liar." Kyoya said, "You speak with him on a regular basis, don't you? You must have somehow brought up Haruhi's secret and he told you."

"Yeah, okay, I forced it out of him." Mira said, making eye contact again, "But I still know the truth. And if you don't rip up that contract  _right now_ , I'll tell the entire school."

"And just who do you think will believe you?" Kyoya replied.

"Everyone!" Mira replied, "If the truth is thrown in someone's face, they're bound to see it!"

"Do you know how many fans Haruhi's accumulated over the time she spent here?" Kyoya asked, "Hearing the truth about the host they like most… Well, they'll be inclined to call you a liar."

"But  _you're_  the liars!" Mira said, "You have the entire school convinced that Haruhi's a boy! If they see the truth-!"

"They'll be too stubborn to believe it." Kyoya interrupted, "You may get the boys on your side, but most of the girls won't, and they'll keep attending the host club, no questions asked." Mira faltered, "Unless you present undeniable evidence of Haruhi's true gender, then you will be disputed, and you  _will_  lose." Mira scowled up at him.

"Damn you and your demonic logic." She growled. She pouted childishly and crossed her arms over her chest. Tamaki looked at the expression in shock. She looked so… so… so…

"MIRA-SEMPAI!" He cried, jumping at her and bringing her into a vice grip and spinning her around, "That expression was SOOO CUTE! So incredibly, amazingly, adorably CUTE!"

"Put me down!" Mira shouted, trying to squirm out of his grip, "Suoh, will you- Hey! Let me-" An angry vein popped up on her head and she brought up her fist and jammed it into his chin, "If a lady tells you to stop doing something, you stop! Got it?" She stood over him, glaring at his form. Tamaki nodded vigorously at her 'Mira is not pleased' face.

"But…" Kyoya began, catching her attention, "Since you obviously tried very hard to try and get out of your debt, I'll give you a reward." She looked at him in surprise, "You're off cleaning duty and back to serving tea." She scowled, "And I'll deduct 2000 yen from your debt." Her scowl lessened to a frown.

"Okay." She said, "I still hate you, though."

"I completely understand." Kyoya replied professionally, "Now, please, go and put on your maid's outfit and prepare to attend to the guests." He gestured to the changing room with a wave of his arm. Mira rolled her eyes and began to walk past him, "Oh, and Mira-sempai?" She looked back over at him with a bored face, "Keep your comments to yourself this time." She scoffed and flipped him off without looking as she walked to the dressing room.

* * *

"Are you two  _trying_  to humiliate me?" Mira demanded of the twins once she had put on the maid's outfit they made for her. It was a frilly pink thing, with lots of lace and plenty of white ribbons. Her face was flushed in embarrassment and anger.

"No." The twins replied.

"You liars!" Mira accused, "Why else would you make such a gross outfit?"

"Hey! Don't call our outfit gross!" Kaoru said, puffing out his cheeks angrily and crossing his arms over his chest.

"We were up all night making that thing for you!" Hikaru said, mimicking his brother.

"I don't care!" Mira yelled, not noticing her sister coming in, "If you idiots think I'm gonna let you get away with this, you're  _dead_  wrong!"

"Why?" The twins taunted, "Are you going to kill us?"

"You bet your synchronized asses I am!" Mira growled, "Now hold still so I can strangle you!"

"You have to catch us first!" The twins sang before running off. Mira started running after them.

"Get back here!" Mira shouted after them. Isabella watched the scene with a smile, laughing lightly at the sight of her sister chasing the two boys. Tamaki noticed her laughter and went over to her with a princely flourish.

"Ah, Isabella-chan." He said, catching her attention, "As kind as it is to have you grace us with your presence, we are not open quite yet."

"Oh, I know." Isabella replied, "I'm just here because Mira invited me." She pointed over to Mira, who had one of the twins in a headlock and the other was trying to help him escape. " _MEE_ -RAH!" She stopped in what she was doing and all three turned their attention to her, Isabella waved to her with a smile, "Hey!"

"Oh, hey Izzy." Mira replied, not caring that the twin she had in a headlock had escaped her hold and was suddenly gasping for air, holding his throat, "I forgot that I told you to come over." Isabella shrugged casually as she walked closer.

"Yeah, you tend to do that from time to time." She said, she stopped in her tracks when she saw the dress her sister wore. She began to snicker and held her hand over her mouth, "I- (Snicker) I'm sorry, Mira." She said before she guffawed in laughter, holding her sides, "What are you  _wearing?_!" Mira's face flushed shamefully and she glared at the twins.

"This is  _your_  fault!" She shouted angrily, "You guys are so dead!" She was about to go after them again, but stopped when she heard her sister's harsh coughing. She turned around and walked over to her sister. "Izzy, you okay?" Isabella stopped coughing and looked up at her sister, she was about to respond when she began to giggle again.

"I-I'm sorry, Mira." She said between giggles, "But I can't take you seriously when you're wearing that dress!" She laughed again and Mira's flush deepened.

"Shut up!" She growled, "You wouldn't be laughing if  _you_  had to wear this thing!" When Isabella coughed again from her laughter, Mirabella frowned, "Okay, will you calm down for two seconds? I want to know if I can be in your line of sight without you dying!" When she saw the host club's shocked expressions, she quickly added, "Of laughter."

Isabella took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself, letting the occasional giggle slip out before she calmed herself completely. "Okay, I'm good, I'm good." She said, she looked her sister up and down and snorted in laughter, "Do you really have to wear  _that_?" Mira's face twisted into a sour scowl.

"Unfortunately." She growled, "It's in my contract." Isabella giggled as she fished something out of her school bag. She pulled out her cellphone and took a quick picture of Mira in the maid's outfit. Mira gaped at her, her blush returning full force, "IZZY!" She screeched, "Delete that! Delete it right now!" Isabella stuck out her tongue as she pulled it away from her sister's grasp. "Damn it, Izzy!"

"Al's just gotta see this!" Isabella said as she pulled up her contacts list, getting ready to send the picture. Mirabella's entire face turned a bright red.

"NO!" She lunged for her sister's phone, and she easily sidestepped out of the way, "Anyone but Al! If he sees that picture, I'll never hear the end of it!" She reached for the phone but Isabella made sure to keep it just out of her reach, "Izzy,  _please_!"

"Annnd…!" Isabella hit the green button on her phone, "Send~!"

"NOOOO!" Mira cried, finally snatching the phone from her sister's hands, seeing the words  **[message sent]**  on the screen. "No! Cancel! Delete!  _Something_!" She fiddled with every part she could of Isabella's phone with a dreading expression on her face. When she found she could do nothing, she glared at her sister, "Traitor." Isabella just stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Oh, you know Al," She said, "If I didn't show him that picture, he would've kicked both himself  _and_  me." Mira rolled her eyes and handed her sister back her phone.

"Nah, Al's a big softie, he can't hit you." She said as Isabella took the phone, " _Me_ , on the other hand…" Isabella laughed and Mirabella laughed with her, knowing how much grief Mira had caused their brother over the years. The host club, having no idea who or what they were talking about, exchanged confused glances. Tamaki was about to say something when the clock went off, saying it was time for the host club to start.

The hosts quickly moved to their positions as the doors opened, revealing all of the host club's fan girls, who swooned when they saw the hosts. Mira rolled her eyes and went to go grab the tea tray to serve and Isabella went over to designate Tamaki for the day.

* * *

Mira went to put away the empty teacups and fill up new ones to give to more of the guests. She stopped when she felt stares on her back and she whirled around to see a large group of girls at each of the tables staring at her. She sent them a furious glare and they quickly spun back around to face their hosts. Mira turned back to the teacups and began to fill them up again. She sighed to herself,  _I wonder_ , she thought to herself,  _how long this debt will take to pay off?_

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't see Honey prancing over to her. She turned and accidentally bumped into him, making him fall over. She was so surprised that the tray slipped from her grasp. The tray and cups fell against the floor, but thankfully (And by some strange miracle) none of the cups cracked. The only damage was the tea she spilled on the floor. She stumbled onto her knees and looked at Honey, who sat, somewhat bewildered. Mori saw the whole scene and was about to go over to his cousin, when Mira suddenly went to his side with a worried look on her face.

"Oh, jeez!" Mira groaned when she saw some of the tea on his uniform, "I'm  _so_  sorry about that, Honey-san!" She looked at the stain and tried to wipe it off with her dress sleeve, "Man… I'm really,  _really_  sorry!"

"It's okay, Mira-chan." Honey said, gently pushing her hand away, "I can get it dry cleaned. It's not your fault." He smiled up at her, "Anyway, do you want cake?" Mira faltered, confused.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Do you want cake?" Honey repeated, "We have some cake at the table, you should try some!" Mira gave a nervous smile at his excited face.

"Um, no thanks." She said as politely as she could, "I'm still working and stuff, so…"

"Oh! Okay." Honey said, standing up and dusting himself off, "Later, then?"

"Uh… sure?" Mira replied unsurely.

"Hey!" Honey's eyes lit up, "Why don't we come over to your house and eat?" Mira gave him an odd look, not realizing his comment caught the attention of the host club.

"Uh, I don't know about-"

"We wanna come, too!" Hikaru and Kaoru exclaimed, rushing over. Mira glared at them.

"No way." She said, her comment went unheard to the rest of the host club.

"You know," Tamaki began, "I think it would be interesting to see how an American styles their house."

"No!" Mira exclaimed, but they all ignored her.

"And I would like to meet your father." Kyoya commented mildly, looking up from his laptop over at the group of hosts that was steadily growing around Mira.

"No way in hell!" Mira exclaimed, "I'm not going to let you idiots into my house!"

"What say you, Isabella-san?" Kyoya asked, turning to Mira's sister, "The Marino home is just as much Mira's as it is yours." Isabella smiled happily at them.

"Oh, absolutely!" She said happily, "The host club is welcome at our house anytime!"

"They are  _not_!" Mira yelled, but her sister ignored her, "Don't let your fangirlism cloud your judgment over their idiocy!"

"Then perhaps we can visit tomorrow!" Tamaki said happily, "It's the weekend, and we're free that day!"

"Is  _anyone_  listening to a word I  _say?_!" Mira shouted.

"Then we'll go!" The twins said.

"No you  _won't_!" Mira screeched.

"We're coming, too!" Honey said from his place on Mori's shoulders.

"No!" Mira yelled.

"As am I." Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses.

"God! Help me!" Mira shouted, throwing her arms up towards the heavens.

"I can't." Haruhi said, "I have grocery shopping to do."

"But  _Haruhi_!" Tamaki whined, going over to her, "You  _have_  to come! It won't be any fun if you don't."

"I can't go." Haruhi insisted, "You'll just have to go without me."

"But we  _can't_!" Tamaki whined, he slumped his shoulders sadly, "I guess we'll just have to reschedule."

" _Thank you_!" Mira exclaimed, "Haruhi, I owe you one!" Haruhi gave her a small smile in apology, knowing how she felt.

The host club continued on as normal after that, though the twins kept bugging Mira when they got the chance about coming over and she would threaten them to leave her alone. At the end, after she exchanged goodbyes to the hosts with her sister, they left and went home.

* * *

**Quick note: Mirabella's family is Italian-American, and they're familiar with their roots, but they don't speak it very often, so it won't come up again.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Home Visit

8

Mira stretched her arms out lazily as she walked down the stairs in her pajamas, a giant T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. She smiled happily to her brother as she walked past him in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Al!" She greeted cheerily, patting his shoulder as she went past. Alfonso looked over at his sister in confusion as she walked over to the fridge and pulled out some milk.

"Good morning." Alfonso greeted, "You're awfully happy today." Mira smiled at him as she poured the milk into a glass.

"Yep!" She replied, "It is the weekend, my friend! I have no homework, no tests, no teachers, and best of all, I don't have to work for a demonic bastard!" She threw her hands up happily, "Isn't that  _great_?"

"Spectacular." Alfonso replied sarcastically, "You know, you should get a job soon." Mira's smile turned into a deep scowl and she glared at her brother as she walked over to put the milk away in the refrigerator.

"Bite me." She said, "I don't need a job just yet." She looked over at the clock in the kitchen, seeing it read 10:12, "Speaking of jobs, don't you have one you need to be at?"

"It's my day off." Alfonso said as he grabbed some pieces of toast that popped out, "I can spend it however the hell I want." Mira rolled her eyes, walking over to the pantry and pulling out a blueberry bagel.

"Whatever." She said as she walked over to the toaster and plopped the bagel pieces in.

* * *

"Kenny! I want a rematch on that Super Smash Brothers game!" Mira called, now fully dressed, she saw no one was there except her brother Alfonso, who lay on the couch eating from a bowl of popcorn, "Where's Kenneth?" She asked him. Alfonso looked over at her as if just realizing she was there.

"Don't you remember?" He asked, "Ken asked Dad if he could go to one of his business meetings with him."

"Well, when will he be back?" Mira asked. Alfonso shrugged, turning his attention to the TV.

"Hard to say." He replied, "Could be anywhere from a couple hours to ten o' clock tonight." Mira scowled.

"Phooey." She said, "You wanna play me in Super Smash Brothers?" Alfonso shook his head.

"Nah, maybe later." He said.

"Okay." Mira said, turning to leave.

"See you later, pinky maid!" Alfonso called teasingly from the couch. Mira blushed angrily and stormed back into the room to throw a pillow from another couch at her brother. Alfonso laughed when he caught it.

"Screw you!" Mira snarled, storming out of the room. She walked to the kitchen, feeling a little snackish, when she heard someone ring the doorbell.

"Bella, will you get that?" Alfonso called from the couch. Mira gripped a can of salted peanuts in her hand, sorely tempted to throw it at him. Oh, how she  _hated_  that name. Alfonso was the only person who called her Bella, and he'd been calling her that just to make her mad. Bella was the Twilight girl, and she hated Twilight. She put the peanut can back in the pantry and shut the door.

"I'm going." She grumbled as she walked through the living room. She went down a hallway, hearing the doorbell being ring again. "I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" She yelled to the person on the other side of the door, "Keep your shirt on!" She reached the door and opened it, not at all pleased by what she saw.

"MIRA-CHAN!"

Honey, Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru shouted happily when she opened the door. The host club stood on the front steps of her house, the aforementioned members looking quite happy to be there. Haruhi didn't look very happy as she stood there, wearing some casual boy clothes. Kyoya looked pissed out of his mind and still had a bit of bed head. Mori just had a bored expression on his face, as always. Mira looked at them for one second.

Then she slammed the door in their faces.

She leaned against the door as she heard the doorbell going off again and again and again. "I'm not letting you in, so you may as well go home!" Mira shouted to them through the door. She heard and felt the banging of fists against the door.

"Let us in, Mira-sempai!" The twins called from their side of the door.

"Open the door!" Tamaki called.

"No!" Mira snapped, "Go away!" She locked the door and moved away from it. She faced the door and yelled, "There's nothing in this  _world_  that will make me open that door for you!"

"Open the door or we'll break it down!" The twins threatened. Mira rolled her eyes at the statement.

"Yeah, right!" She called back. "You'll have to pay for a new one if you do!" She looked up in surprise when she saw her sister running down the stairs and quickly opening the door, revealing the club members standing behind Mori, whose foot was raised in the air in preparation of actually breaking down the door.

"Sorry about that, guys." Isabella said, "Come on in." She waved them in and they happily obliged. Mirabella gaped at her sister as all the hosts filed into her home.

"Thanks again for inviting us, Izzy-chan!" Honey said as he walked in.

"It's my pleasure, Honey-sempai." Isabella replied, "Any friend of Mira's is welcome here."

"They're  _not_  my friends!" Mira snarled, suddenly regaining her senses.

"Ah, Isabella-chan." Tamaki began in his princely way, taking her hand in both of his, "We at the host club appreciate you letting us into your wonderful home out of the kindness of your heart. Thank you." He kissed her hand and Isabella blushed embarrassedly.

"Y-You're welcome, Tamaki-san…" She said as he carefully placed the hand back at her side.

" _Izzy_!" Mira hissed, pulling her away from the hosts and closer to her, "What in the hell are you thinking? Why did you invite these freaks over?"

"Mira, don't be so mean!" Isabella scolded, "I invited them yesterday, remember? And they came all this way!"

"All this-?" Mira stopped on what she was about to say, "Izzy, I am willing to bet 10,000 yen that at least  _one_  of these losers lives a few blocks away from our own house!" She looked back to the hosts, who had been looking at the two confusedly as they had spoken to each other. Mira turned to them completely, "How did you guys find out where I lived? I don't remember Izzy telling you our address."

"I searched the school's records." Kyoya said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Our address isn't  _in_  the school records." Mirabella said, glaring at him.

"I know," Kyoya replied, "But the school records gave me your full name, which was all I needed to find your passport information and current residence." Mira glared fiercely at him.

" **Satanic offspring.** " Mira growled at him in English. Isabella gasped and smacked her shoulder.

" _Mirabella!_ " She scolded in a hiss.

"What?" Mira retorted, "You're thinking it, too!"

"I most certainly am not!" Isabella stated proudly.

"Yeah, well, you don't know him like I do." Mira said, glaring at the boy in question from over her shoulder.

"Hey, Bella!" Alfonso called from the living room, catching everyone's attention, "Who's at the door?" Mira looked in the direction he had called from before grinning evilly. Isabella saw her grin and her eyes grew wide as Mira began to turn towards the voice.

"Mira, I know that look." Isabella said in a warning tone, "Don't you even think-"

" **Oh,** _ **Alfonso**_ **~!** " Mira sang in English, smiling in a way that had most of the hosts terrified. Isabella gasped and clapped her hands over her sister's mouth.

"No!" She hissed, Mira moved around, trying to get out of her sister's grip

" **What is it?** " Al called from the couch. Mira finally moved her mouth from her sister's hands.

" **Izzy invited over a bunch of-** -"

"SHHHH!"

"- **-Boys!** "

"No! Shut up!" Isabella hissed. The next words spoken made her freeze altogether.

" **IZZY DID** _ **WHAT?**_ **!** " Alfonso screamed. Mirabella grinned victoriously and Isabella stared at the hallway the yell had come from. Mira turned to the host club.

"I suggest you leave now, before you get your asses handed to you." She said. The host club all exchanged confused looks and jumped when they heard the stomping of running feet. They all looked up when they saw a young man of about twenty in a pair of pajama pants. His brown and black streaked hair was disheveled and he had a five o'clock shadow from not shaving that morning. He saw the host club, and glared, squaring his shoulders and standing up straight.

"Bella." He said, glaring at the host club in a way that made Tamaki flinch in fear, " _Why_  are there so many  _boys_  in our house?"

"Now, Al, it's not what you think." Isabella said.

"Well, what  _should_  I think?" Alfonso asked, looking at her, "There is a group of boys in my house-"

" _Our_  house." Isabella corrected.

"Our house," Alfonso consented, "And they're all relatively good looking, and knowing how much you just adore boys-"

"They're Mira's friends!" Isabella blurted out. Alfonso stopped in what he was about to say and looked at her in a mixture of confusion and shock. "I invited them over so Mira could spend some time with them." Alfonso looked to Mira, still wearing that mixed expression.

"These are  _your_  friends?" He asked incredulously.

"No!" Mira said, "I would never be friends with a Sadist," She pointed to Kyouya, "A little kid," She pointed to Honey, "A statue," She pointed to Mori, "A cross dresser," She pointed to Haruhi, "A pair of incestuous deviants," She pointed to the twins, "Or some French, blonde, air-headed idiot!" She pointed to Tamaki. Once the words left her lips, Tamaki began to cry.

"Mira-sempai, how can you be so mean?" He whined, Mira glared at him.

"I'm only telling the truth!" She growled back, instantly Tamaki sulked in a corner, muttering something about a 'mean daughter'.

"We're not incestuous, you know!" The twins shouted, "That's just an act for the customers!"

"Well it's a pretty damn good act!" Mira snarled.

"Please," Kaoru scoffed, "Like I'd really  _do_  that with Hikaru."

"Yeah, that's just weird." Hikaru agreed.

Mira was about to reply to them when she heard the sound of snickers coming from behind her. She looked and saw Alfonso chuckling behind his hand. She glared at him.

"And what the hell are  _you_  laughing at?" She growled. Alfonso dropped his hand on her head and began petting her head, messing up her ponytail.

"It's just hard to believe, little Bella." He said with a smile, "These guys really  _are_  your friends!" Mira slapped his hand away.

"Like hell they are!" She snarled, "And don't call me Bella!" Alfonso chuckled again and put his hands on both her cheeks and began pinching them like an aunt that would pinch the cheeks of a niece or nephew she hadn't seen in a while.

"I only call you Bella because you're Papa's  _piccolo bellezia_." He cooed mockingly in Italian. Mira pushed his hands away.

" **I'm not a** _ **little beauty**_ **anymore**!" She growled back in English. Alfonso shrugged.

" **Of** _ **course**_ **you're not**." He said sarcastically, he took one final look at the group and turned around, "Have fun with your friends,  _Bella_." Mira gave a frustrated screech.

"If you keep calling me names I'm gonna call you one!" She threatened.

Alfonso scoffed, "Like what? You got nothing on me." Mira suddenly smirked victoriously and crossed her arms over her chest confidently.

"Oh, don't I?  _Diaper boy_?" She said. Alfonso stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly turned and looked at his sister.

"How do you know about that?" He demanded quietly. Mira took to looking at her nails absently, that smirk still on her face.

"Oh, Kenny told me." She said carelessly, "He told me  _every_  little detail." She looked up at him, "I wonder what Kaori would say if she found out." Alfonso's cheeks turned a furious red.

"You wouldn't dare." He said. Mira grinned maliciously at him.

"Try me." She challenged. Alfonso opened his mouth to say something, but no words were able to come out of his mouth in retaliation. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he sighed.

"Alright, fine." He said, Mira did an arm pump in the air happily. "Izzy-bee, I can still call you that, can't I?"

"'Course." Isabella replied. Alfonso nodded and walked away from them.

"Okay, have fun. No orgies or sex or face my hellish wrath." He drawled, "Later." He gave a half hearted wave to them and went out of their sight.

The host club had watched the entire spectacle between Mira and her brother. The entire club stared at Mira with wide eyes and slightly open mouths, except for Mori, who still wore the same stoic expression as always. Mira turned to them and saw their expressions, and she quirked an eyebrow at them.

"What?"

* * *

Mira sat stiffly on the seat across from the couch the majority of the host club was sitting. Kyoya sat at one end, Tamaki next to him, and Mori sat next to Tamaki, with Honey in his lap. The twins sat on both of the armrests of the couch and Haruhi sat in the cushioned seat near the door. Mira glared hatefully at the men on the couch, her fingers curling and uncurling the material of her jeans in her hands. She gritted her teeth as she narrowed her eyes at them. Not a single word was spoken, everyone was quiet. Normally, Tamaki would have said something about her interior design, but he was too busy being uncomfortable by Mira's harsh glare. Kyoya seemed to ignore it as he scribbled something down in a notebook he had brought. Honey looked around the room, gazing at the pictures and wall art that had been collected from different vacations the family had taken. Mori stared straight ahead, completely unfazed by Mira's stare. The twins had taken to glaring back at her in a sort of staring-contest way. Haruhi was still and quiet, growing more and more tense at the incredibly loud silence.

The silence was broken when Isabella came into the room, holding a tray of drinks, "Okay! Who wants lemonade?" She sing-songed cheerfully. She looked around the room, seeing everyone's demeanor, and grimaced, "Sheesh, who died?"

"My soul." Mira growled, glaring at the host club still. Isabella tried to remedy the insult by laughing aloud to try and ease the tension in the room.

"So, um…" Isabella tried to speak as she put the drinks down on the coffee table between the two couches, "Tamaki-kun," Tamaki looked at her, "What theme are you planning to do on Monday? Because I'm really curious."

"Actually, we're not doing a theme this Monday." Tamaki said, "We're just simply hosting the young ladies as we always do. Theme days are on Friday."

"I see." Isabella said, she picked up a glass and handed it to him, "Lemonade?"

"Oh, thank you." Tamaki said cheerfully, taking the glass from her hands.

"Anyone else?" Isabella offered, and a few hands went up for the beverage and she handed everyone a glass. Isabella sat next to her sister, who kept glaring at the host club. Isabella looked between her, then the club members, then her. You could cut the tension with a knife it was so thick. A very  _long_ , very  _sharp_  knife. "So…"

"Hey, Isabella-chan?" Tamaki began, "I'm curious, what's life like in America?"

"Oh, so you call her by  _her_  name, but not me?" Mirabella snapped at the kingly host.

"Oh, uh…" Tamaki started, a little surprised she brought it up, "Well, we call you Mira because it's cuter than Mirabella…"

"I still want to be called Mirabella!" She snapped again. Isabella put her hand on her fuming sister's arm.

"Mira, stop." She said calmly, "It's just a name, calm down." Mira let out a 'humph' and turned away, "Well, Tamaki, about home," She began, "It's actually not that different from any other city. Actually, some parts of Japanese cultures and American cultures aren't too different, other than a few differences in daily behavior and life planning."

"Oh." Tamaki said.

"Ne, Mira-chan," Honey spoke up, "You never told us you had a big brother."

"You never asked." Mira replied, looking away from the little host. Isabella was surprised, normally when she hated people, she didn't try to hide it and normally just glared at them. The fact that she didn't glare at him meant she must like him in some way. Actually, now she wasn't looking at any of the hosts. Alfonso was right, they  _are_  her friends.

"Hey, Mira-sempai," Haruhi began, "Do you have any other family members we don't know about?"

"Other than Alfonso's twin brother, no." Mira replied.

"Speaking of family," Kyoya began, "Where is your father?"

"He's at a business meeting with one of his partners," Mira said, "Don't ask me who." Kyoya nodded in understanding.

"And where's your mom?" The twins asked. Mira's eyes widened and she gave the two twins a glare so icy the entire club felt their blood run cold. Isabella stared at her sister in shock, watching her carefully.

"Since when the hell was that any of your business?" Mira growled before standing.

"Oh, no. Mira!" Isabella called after her sister as she left the living room, "Mira!" When they heard a door shut, Isabella let out a sigh, "You shouldn't have brought that up. Mom's always been a bit of a sore spot for Mira to talk about."

"And why is that?" Tamaki asked.

"Well…" Isabella looked down at her hands in her lap, "I guess you guys are going to find out sometime. Our mom is still in New York, still receiving treatment for her illness. The reason Mira's so upset about it is because… Well, the first time Mom started showing any huge symptoms, was a little while after she had Mirabella. She knows it's not her fault, and we've told her this a thousand times, but she still blames herself for our Mom's sickness. And now… She's in an even worse mood most of the time because I inherited our Mom's illness. She keeps blaming herself for that, too. She keeps saying she could've done something to prevent it, but" She gave the club a small smile that anyone could tell was forced, "We all know that nothing can be done about something you're born with." Mori turned his head to the direction Mira had left in and stared at it for a moment. The next moment, he moved his little blonde cousin from his lap and set him back on the couch as he went to where Mira had left in. Everyone stared after him in confusion.

"Takashi?" Honey called, Mori didn't answer. He kept walking down the hall and saw a door leading outside and he saw Mira standing on the other side, leaning over the railing of the back porch of her house. She wasn't facing him, so she didn't bother looking to see who was behind her. He silently opened the door and stopped when he heard her sniffle to herself and wipe her nose on her sleeve.

She was crying.

Mori closed the door behind him, making it click shut. When she heard it shut, she whirled around to see who it was, quickly wiping her tears off her cheeks.

"M-Mori-san!" She exclaimed, obviously surprised at his presence, "W-What are you doing out here?" She was even more surprised when she felt him take her by the shoulders and pull her into an embrace. She struggled to get out of his hold, "What are you  _doing?_!"

"It's not your fault." Mori said, and Mira froze. She let his words sink into her brain, and take in the meaning. She had heard her family say things similar to it, but never something so blunt before. She loosened her arms and leaned into him, letting a few tears leak out of her eyes. Mori gently hugged her to him, completely silent as she sniffled into his clothes, letting some of her guilt-filled tears stain his clothes.

Neither of them knew that the entire host club, and Isabella, had seen the entire spectacle around the corner of the hall that led to the door.

"Sweet mother in heaven." Isabella murmured in shock, "That just happened, right? I'm not imagining this, right?"

"I don't believe it." Tamaki said, "Mori-sempai's being so gentle with her. I've never seen him act like this with anyone," He turned to Honey, "Well, except you, Honey-sempai." Honey nodded in agreement.

"I thought Takashi had been acting weird recently." His childish voice said as he watched the couple, "Now I know that it's because he's getting really close with Mira-chan." He looked up at the host club, "Ne, do you think they might end up as a couple?" Instantly, Tamaki and Isabella gasped happily.

"That would be the greatest thing ever!" Isabella exclaimed, "Mira's never had a boyfriend for, like, ever! If she hooked up with her classmate-!  _Ohmygodthatwouldbesogreat_!" She squealed the last sentence girlishly, jumping up and down. Tamaki joined her.

"A romance in the host club!" He said joyously, "This is fantastic! Amazing! Wonderful!  _Il est parfait!_ " He turned to host club in an authoritative manner, "Gentleman! We cannot let this newfound love to go unfulfilled! We must have Mori-sempai and Mira-sempai be a couple!"


	9. Chapter 9 - Akira Yukio

9

"Bye-bye, Mira-chan!" Honey cheered as he hugged his classmate's waist, "Thanks for having us over!"

"Yeah, you're welcome." Mira said quickly, sounding bored. She gently removed herself from the Lolita's iron grip, "Okay,  _bye_!" She looked to the entire host club. When they didn't get the hint, she rolled her eyes and walked over to them, pushing out as many as she could at once through the doorway, " **Goodbye**! Sayonara!  _Au revoir_!" When the club tried to get back inside, making sounds of protest, Mira held the door and shouted, "BEAT IT!" And slammed it in their faces. She let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the door. For the past three hours, her day had been spent keeping the club members out of her room, out of her father's office, out of the living room where her brother was, and out of her brothers' rooms. Her sister had shown them her room, but she didn't care about that. Then she had to deal with them pestering her about her wardrobe, seeing how her casual clothes were very frat-boyish.  _Then_  she had to get them refreshments so they wouldn't whine about their stomachs.

All in all, it was a very tiring experience. So she wasn't happy when she heard the door being knocked on again. She rolled her eyes and opened the door to see Mori.

"What?" She asked, her snappy tone showing how peeved she was. Mori held out a piece of paper to her and she took it, "Oh, the new kendo schedules. Thanks." She shut the door gently this time and walked away, preparing for another day at school.

* * *

"Head!" Mira shouted, making the hit on her opponent. He fell over onto his butt from the hit, Mira smirked happily behind her helmet, "That's another point for me, Takahiro-san." Her opponent was one of her underclassmen. He lifted up his helmet and showed his sweaty face to her.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." He held out his hand and she took it, lifting him up, "It's kind of humiliating to be beaten by a girl."

"That just proves I have skill!" Mira argued, "Besides, you're getting better. You almost got me on that last one."

"Yeah, next time I won't get beaten though!" He said, Mira chuckled as she walked away from him. She walked over to the bench, slamming down and grabbing a bottle of water. She looked up as Mori came over to her.

"Hey." She greeted, and he nodded his head towards her. He sat down beside her, and Mira noticed how worn out he was, "You look tired."

"Mm." Mori said, nodding his head again. He held out his hand and she gave him her bottle of water so he could take a drink.

"What happened?" Mira asked when he gave it back, "You lose a match?" Mori shook his head.

"Preparing for the tournament." He said.

"Oh." Mira responded. She had heard about Ouran being entered in the national kendo tournament, and Mori was their top competitor. Hopefully, their school would win again this year and get the trophy to put in their (already huge in Mira's opinion) trophy box. Everyone looked up as the front doors to the gym slammed open, revealing a group of rough-looking boys. She recognized one of them as Akira Yukio, a second year in class D who had been roughing up a lot of the first year boys. There were also a few rumors of him going from sports team to sports team, from wrestling, to boxing, football, and basically any sport that involved strength and 'challenging' their strongest member, just to show everyone that he deserved the title of 'toughest in school' or something like that. He was leading the pack, with a malicious smirk on his face. She scowled at the sight of him and his goons, as did Mori.

"Alright!" Akira called out, getting the attention of any member of the kendo team he hadn't had before, "Which one of you here is the strongest?" Murmurs went around, wondering if he would challenge their captain, who was already dog tired. Mira looked over at Mori, and deciding to give him some of the rest he needed, stopped him from getting up and stood.

"I am." She called out, and everyone looked at her in shock. Akira let out a barking laugh.

" _You?_!" He asked, laughing, "You're a girl! You can't be the strongest!" He looked around the room, "Where's the captain?"

"I beat him." Mira said, catching his attention and Mori's as well, "I beat the captain on my first day here." Mori looked at her in surprise. Yes, she beat him once. When she went up against him again, though, she lost. The first win was by pure dumb luck. Why was she going up against someone she knew she might not beat? She looked away casually examining her nails, "But if you're too  _chicken_  to fight a girl, I'll understand. Any man would hate to have his masculinity challenged, least of all by someone of the opposite sex." She looked over at Akira, who was grinding his teeth in anger.

"Somebody get me a shinai." He growled to his goons, they stood still, a little confused. Akira whirled around to them, "A shinai! Get me a damn shinai!" They suddenly began scrambling around, getting him the gear he needed. He didn't take any of the safety gear, though, saying he wouldn't need it.

"Well, it wouldn't be fair if I was the only one wearing gear." Mira said, she began removing the protective gear and walked toward him in only the clothes that she wore underneath, "If you fight without, so will I." Akira showed her that same malicious smirk.

"That stuff was for your own protection." He said, advancing towards her with the bamboo sword. He loomed over her, he was just as tall as Mori, maybe bigger, with spiky blonde hair and a tattoo on his neck. The cartilage of one of his ears was pierced, he reminded Mira vaguely of the stereotypical gangster.

"As it was for yours." Mira responded, coming closer. Akira's smirk faded and he lunged toward her, Mira blocked the attack and hit him in the stomach. He let out a grunt in pain and came at her again. Again, she blocked it and hit his head. The match continued on for another two minutes in that same fashion. Akira would strike, Mira would block, and make a rebound strike. Eventually, Akira landed a hit in her side and Mira stumbled from the sudden pain. Akira smirked maliciously and raised the bamboo sword over his head, ready to hit her again. She just barely blocked the blow, but didn't strike back. She could feel the welt forming on her side as she moved. Akira made another strike at her and she jumped out of the way, landing a hard hit to the side of his face. Akira stumbled and fell to the ground, letting out a small groan in pain. Mira froze, looking in shock as she saw him get up, a tiny stream pf blood coming from his mouth. He reached into his mouth and pulled out a molar. She had knocked out his tooth.

" **Oh my God!** " Mira cried in English, not expecting to have hit him that hard, "Are you okay?" She was about to kneel down to help him when he swiped the shinai at her. She jumped back to avoid it as he got up, spitting out some of the blood before wiping his mouth.

"I will not…" He panted, "I will  _not_ … lose to a  _girl_ ,  _damn it_!" He swiped the shinai at her again and she jumped back. "Hold still!" Mira blocked another blow and hit his side again, making him fall.

"Yukio!" One of his goons exclaimed, seeing him make no effort to get up. Mira cautiously walked over to him and saw his eyes were closed.

"He's unconscious!" Mira shouted, she turned to his goons, "He needs to get to the infirmary." The boys nodded and picked up their leader, quickly scuttling away as they grabbed his arms and legs and carried him out of the gym. Once they had disappeared, everyone in the gym jumped up and cheered. They ran over to Mira, giving their congratulations to her on her win against Akira. She would have responded to them, had she not felt so woozy.

"Mira-chan, great job!" Honey exclaimed, running over to her and jumping around her waist. Mira let out a cry of pain fell on her back against the floor. Honey looked at her in shock, "Mira-chan! Are you okay?" Mira gasped as she felt a sharp pain pierce through her side, curling up and putting her hand over it. "Mira-chan!" Mori instantly came over to her and put her on her back. Mira cried out at the sudden movement. Mori moved the top of her uniform and took it off, showing her in a white tank top and he lifted it up. Everyone gasped in surprise when they saw a huge reddish-purple bruise forming on her skin. Mori carefully moved his hands over the bruise and felt around it, quickly realizing what was wrong.

"Her ribs are broken." He said. He hooked his arm under her legs and behind her back and lifted her up. He briskly walked through the crowd and went out the gym, heading to the infirmary where she could receive medical treatment.

* * *

"Alright,  _ohhh_ -pen." The nurse sang happily, Mira kept her mouth shut at the sight of the nurse's thermometer.

"I don't see why I need my temperature taken when my bones are broken." She said to her. The nurse scowled and pushed the thermometer closer to her.

"It's extra precaution." She said, "When it comes to your health, you can never be too careful." Mira rolled her eyes and opened her mouth. The nurse stuck the thermometer inside and Mira put it under her tongue. "Now, just keep that in there while I get some bandages." Mira rolled her eyes again and the nurse walked away. She looked over at Mori, who stood next to the bench she was sitting on, still in his kendo uniform.

"Hey," She said, her speech slightly slurred from the thermometer in her mouth, "Thanks for helping me ou-" She stopped when Mori's hand went over her mouth.

"Don't talk." He ordered, "You'll mess up the temperature reading." Mira nodded and kept her mouth shut. Mira looked past Mori and saw Akira Yukio laying on one of the beds, an ice-pack on the side of his face where she had hit him. He was still unconscious, and Mira imagined that when he woke, which hopefully wouldn't be any time soon, he wouldn't be happy. The nurse came back with a roll of bandages in her hands and began carefully wrapping them around Mira's exposed middle. The thermometer beeped the minute she finished and she took it out.

"You're temperature is lower than normal…" She mused to herself, seeing the thermometer read 96.4 degrees.

"Yeah, I was born that way." Mira said, "Not everyone can be in that 98.6 category." She carefully slid off the bench, "If there's anything else…"

"Just try to be careful." The nurse said, "And be sure to get regular checkups with a doctor at the hospital." "I have an appointment with one in five minutes." Mira said sarcastically, she looked up at the clock on the wall and jumped a little, "Oh, crap, I actually  _do_  have one in five minutes!" She turned to Mori, "Tell the guys I won't be there today!" She started running out the door.

"Oh! Be  _careful_!" The nurse called after her, but it seemed she didn't hear as the door to the infirmary shut. She let out an exhausted sigh, "Teenagers…" And walked away. Mori walked out the door after Mira and headed for the gym to grab his school uniform (He had grabbed Mira's on his way out earlier) and then proceeded to go to the host club.

* * *

"BROKEN RIBS?" Tamaki exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah," Honey said, "This big guy from the D class was going to challenge Takashi, but she told him  _she_  was the strongest instead so Takashi wouldn't be more worn out than before." Honey sniffled sadly, "She won the fight, but he hurt her really bad, so now she's at the hospital."

"How brave of Mira-sempai!" Tamaki cried, passionate tears running down his cheeks, as sparkles suddenly surrounded him as he stood in a spotlight, "To go up against someone for the sake of her classmate...! She's so brave! She's so strong!"

"No, she's not." The twins replied at the same time. The spotlight disappeared and Tamaki glared at the redheads.

"How would you know, devil twins?" He demanded snappishly.

"Come on, Boss, think about it." Hikaru said.

"She must've had an ulterior motive." Kaoru said.

"Mira-sempai's not the kind of person to do a nice thing on a whim like that!" They said together.

"How do  _you_  know?" Tamaki demanded of the twins, "You've only known her for a week! You don't know what she's really like!"

"Neither do you." The twins stated monotonously, "You've only known her for a week, too."

"Ah! But that's where you're wrong!" Tamaki said proudly, "I met her on the day she came to pick up her uniform  _two_  weeks ago! So I  _have_  known her longer!" The twins turned to each other, then put thoughtful expressions on their faces.

"Well, considering how cold she is to him…" Kaoru began, "She must've known him for a while."

"Yeah, nobody can hate the Boss that much without knowing him enough." Hikaru agreed. Tamaki gaped at the two of them.

"Liars!" He declared, the three of them continued to get into a heated debate about whether Mira likes him, or anyone else in the host club, and whether she actually did what she did out of the kindness of her heat.

"Mira  _is_  a nice person." A voice said, stopping the three of them. They looked to see Isabella, looking quite solemn as she spoke to them, "She's just shy. She's not good at showing people  _how_  nice she is. She had to toughen herself up so she could survive with our brothers, and that's stuck with her all her life." She looked down sadly. "She's not good with people, I'm sorry."

"Isabella-chan, there's no need for you to be sorry." Tamaki cooed, walking over to her. He put his hand under her chin and made her look into his eyes as he gave her a stunning princely look, "I'm sure with all the love and care you give her, Mira-sempai will be better in no time." Isabelle looked away.

"I don't think even  _you_  can cheer me up this time, Tamaki-kun." Isabella said, pulling away from his hand. She plopped down on an empty couch near Tamaki's table, and began conversing with some of the guests to try and forget the fact that her sister was in the hospital, a place she was all too familiar with.

* * *

"They're  _not_  broken?" Mira asked in surprise when the doctor came back with the X-rays. The doctor nodded, holding the pictures up to the light.

"Yes, they're only bruised a little." He said, "You said this was a… kendo accident?" Mira nodded, "Well, it must have been a pretty hard hit to make this kind of bruise through the  _do_."

"Um, actually, I wasn't wearing my  _do_." Mira said, the doctor looked at her in surprise, "I wasn't wearing any of the protective gear."

"Well, then I'm surprised you  _only_  came out with bruised ribs!" The doctor said, "You shouldn't be so reckless, Marino-san!"

"Well, excuse me!" Mira snapped back, glaring at the doctor, "That guy pissed me off to no end! Somebody had to do  _something_!" The dark haired doctor rolled his eyes at her, muttering something to himself as he put the X-rays down.

"Alright, well," He pulled out a pad of paper and began scribbling something down, "Take this to any local pharmacy and you should get some ibuprofen for the pain. Make sure you ice that bruise to help the swelling go down. I want you to move as little as possible, and I want you to take at least one day of bed-rest." He ripped the paper off the pad and handed it to her, "And there are some exercises I'd like you to do to help prevent-"

"I thought you said I had to move as little as possible." Mira jabbed with a smirk, the doctor sent her a harsh stare and she shut her mouth.

"This is to help increase elasticity in the lungs and help you breathe better." He continued, "It also helps to prevent pneumonia from entering the body."

"I thought you only got pneumonia from the cold?" Mira said, puzzled.

"Pneumonia is not a disease that comes from cold weather all the time." The doctor continued, the way he acted and sounded all seemed so familiar to her… "It's when a mass forms in your lungs that prevents you from breathing correctly and can lead to asphyxiation if not treated. Now what I want you to do is to take a deep breath and hold it for about four seconds, and then release it. Keep doing that about eight times every few hours a day, understand?" Mira nodded and the doctor smiled, "Good." Mira blinked once, twice, and a third time at the smile he gave. It seemed so damn familiar…

"I'm sorry," Mira said suddenly, "But I have met you somewhere before?"

"Are you seriously using a pick up line on me?" The doctor asked jokingly.

" _No_ , I'm being totally serious." Mira said, "What did you say your name was again?"

"Kenta Ootori." He replied. Mira gaped at him, "What?"

"You're not… Kyoya Ootori's older brother, are you?" She asked, looking him up and down, instantly seeing why he looked like Kyoya.

"I am, actually." He said, "You attend Ouran, don't you?" He allowed himself a small smile, "It seems he's very popular these days. I'll be sure to tell him you said hello when I see him again."

"Uh, don't." Mira said, "Please. I'm not exactly friendly with him." Kenta smiled.

"I had a feeling." He said, "When I mentioned my brother, you didn't seem very happy to hear it." He helped her off the table, "You can use the phone on the counter if you want to call your family to come and get you, if you'd like."

"Ah, no, that's okay." Mira said, "I have my own car parked outside. I'll be fine." The doctor nodded and sent her off.

* * *

"Really? Only bruised?" Isabella asked in surprise, Mira nodded.

"Yeah, I was shocked, too." She said, holding her ribs, "I just need to be careful for a few weeks, and it should heal right up. Along with some physical therapy, of course." Isabella sighed in relief.

"That's good to hear." She said, "And I'm sure Tamaki-kun will be happy to hear it, too." Mirabella grimaced.

"Don't tell him anything, please." She said, walking around her sister to go to her room, "He'll overreact in ways I don't even  _want_  to imagine."

"MIRA-SEMPAI!" Tamaki shouted, running down the hall when she passed by his classroom. She grimaced and tried to run away without hurting herself, but apparently that wasn't fast enough. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a hug that hurt her a lot more than it normally would, and she let out a cry. He instantly pulled back and looked at her with tears in his eyes, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mira-sempai! I forgot about your injury! I didn't mean to hurt you! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Mira stepped away, holding her ribs and glaring at the blonde. "It's just- Your sister told me this morning that your ribs weren't broken and I was so happy to hear it, that when I saw you, I guess I was just so overcome with joy that I hugged you. I'm sorry."

"You moron." She growled, tears began to come in a waterfall down his cheeks, and Mira rolled her eyes at him, "Oh don't be such a baby, I'm not  _dying_." She gently rubbed at her ribs, "I just gotta be careful, and  _not_  be hugged, and I'll be back to normal in a couple weeks." She turned away, "I'll see you later."

"MIRA-SEMPAI!" Hikaru and Kaoru shouted, running down the hall when she passed by the first year classroom. Again, Mira grimaced.

"Not again…" She muttered, and braced herself as the two twins pulled her into a tight hug.

* * *

"I'm getting so sick of this." Mirabella muttered to herself as she was escorted by Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey, and Mori to the infirmary. "You know, you guys really need to learn the meaning of the words 'personal space'! Especially when I'm injured!" Tamaki, Honey, and the twins flinched when she said this.

"Sorry." They all said.

"Yeah, well, 'sorry' isn't going to explain my new injuries to my ribs to my doctor!" Mira snapped. They walked through the front doors of the infirmary, and Mirabella stopped at what she saw.

Akira Yukio looked up, saw Mira, and snarled, "You!"

"Oh, crap…" Mira muttered. Akira stood up from the bench in the infirmary and began to march over to her.

"You little bitch! I oughta knock your Yankee head right off your shoulders!" He growled, he stopped when the two twins stood in front of Mira, holding out their arms to shield her.

"Don't touch her!" The twins growled at him.

"Look, Yukio-san." Mirabella began, "I'm sorry I knocked out your tooth, but-"

"Teeth!" Akira snapped, "Teeth! It was two molars and my incisor!  _Teeth_!"

"Okay, I'm sorry I knocked out your  _teeth_." Mirabella said, "And I'm sorry I knocked you out, and I forgive you for bruising my ribs and-"

" _You_  forgive  _me?_!" Akira growled, "Little bitch! Don't think that I care about what you think!"

" _Okay_ , look!" Mira said, "All I'm trying to say is that yesterday was an idiotic move on both our parts, and we should just forget the whole thing happened." Akira ground his teeth in anger as he glared at her. She stuck her hand past the twins' arms and held out her hand for him to shake, "Truce?" Akira glared at the hand and smacked it away.

" _Hell_  no." He growled, "This ain't over. You can bet on it." He stormed out of the infirmary, Mira still being guarded by Hikaru and Kaoru. When he left, Mira moved the two redheads out of the way and walked over to the nurse, asking for some painkillers.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Marino-sempai?" Takahiro asked when he saw his friend come into the kendo gym.

"A little numb." Mira replied with a shrug, "But, that's what painkillers do, I guess."

"Are you maybe feeling up for a little match?" He asked with a small, sheepish grin. Mira laughed.

"Maybe next time, Takahiro-san." Mira said, walking away, "For now, I have to rest up. Bruised ribs don't heal overnight!" She walked over to the bench and sat down, watching as other kendo students practiced. A few of them would walk over to her from time to time, giving her congratulations on winning the match against Akira Yukio, and asking if she needed anything for her ribs. She would politely say she didn't, and was pleasantly surprised when some of them would sit next to her and start a conversation with her. They would just talk about the little things, like schoolwork and kendo practice, to pass the time until they decided they were done taking a break and got back to practicing.

It was nice, until she had some uninvited guests come in.

"Mira-sempai!" Tamaki sang as he came in, "How are you feeling?" Mira scowled, turning away from Takahiro and glaring over at the host club as they walked in.

"I was feeling fine, until  _you_  showed up." She said, sending the blonde a pointed glare. Tamaki didn't get the hint.

"Why? Are you in pain? Should I go get more medicine?" He asked frantically, Mira scooted away from him a little, her hand brushing against Takahiro's. Kyoya was the only one who noticed his blush at the sudden contact.

"Why do you care?" She asked, jumping when Tamaki put his arms around her neck in a cuddling sort of way.

"Daddy doesn't want anything to happen to his daughter!" He cooed, rubbing his cheek against the top of Mira's head. She struggled to get out of his iron-grip.

"Since when are you my daddy?" She demanded, pulling his arms away from her neck, "And what did I say about  _hugging?_!"

"I only hugged your neck!" Tamaki said, "Your ribs aren't in any pain, are they?"

"Not my ribs, no…" Mira muttered as she rubbed her neck, "Why are you guys even here, anyway? The club doesn't start until later."

"We wanted to come and see how you were doing!" Hikaru said, he and Kaoru both holding out bouquets of red roses to her.

"That, and we wanted to apologize for earlier." Kaoru said, the twins put the bouquets in her lap and she picked one of them up.

"You guys do know that red roses aren't really the way to apologize to a friend, right?" She said, she pointed to the flower, "These are red roses, and that means passion. This is something you give your  _girlfriend_ , not your friend who happens to be a girl."

"Yeah, so?" The twins asked.

"So since when am I your girlfriend?" Mira asked, jumping when she felt little arms hug her leg.

"You're the host club's friend!" Honey said cheerily, "We always treat friends nicely!"

"That doesn't answer my question." Mira said, after a moment of staring into the most adorable face in all of Ouran High School, she sighed, and patted his blonde head, "But I guess I don't really care." Honey's smile grew and he hugged her leg even tighter, "Okay, I'm losing blood down there." Honey pulled away, but still smiled at her.

"Um… Should I leave?" Takahiro asked tentatively, starting to get up. Mira reached up and grabbed his sleeve, yanking him back down.

"No, no." She said, "I want you to stay."  _I need someone sane to help balance out their stupidity_ , she finished in her head. Takahiro blushed again.

"Oh… Okay." He responded. Mira saw Kyoya's infamous demon grin come onto his face and felt her stomach sink.

That's not good.

* * *

"Let me see if I got this straight…" Mira began, rubbing her temples with her hand as she sat in front of the host club in the 3rd music room later on that day, "You…" She pointed to Tamaki and Kyoya, "Want me to be a _hostess_?"

"Yes!" Tamaki said happily.

"…" Mira stared at him for a moment before letting out a drawling, " _Why?_ "

"Well, I've been thinking about how lonely Haruhi must be, being the only girl," Tamaki said, Haruhi said nothing with a somewhat annoyed expression on her face, "And I thought, maybe, if we had another girl in the host club, maybe she wouldn't be so lonely! So, I told Kyoya, but he said you wouldn't gain any customers," He pouted toward his friend as he said this, "So he said no. At least until today!" He brightened up and jumped over, taking Mira's hands in both of his, "He said it was a good idea and that it might have some serious merits for the host club! What do you say?" Mira's face was emotionless as she stared at Tamaki, then at Kyoya, then back at Tamaki, then back at Kyoya.

She sighed and said, "No way in hell." She watched as Tamaki crumbled from the refusal.

"But  _whyyyyyyy?_!" He whined, quickly getting back up and looking at her with teary eyes. Mira pushed him back a little and carefully got up so as not to hurt herself, and she looked at Kyoya.

"I have absolutely nothing to gain from it." She said, "The host club may get merits, but what about  _me?_ "

"That's selfish." Tamaki said with a pout, Mira glared at him.

"I wasn't talking to you." Mira snapped, she ignored Tamaki as he went off into his corner, mumbling about how mean his daughter was. She looked back at Kyoya, "Give me something to get out of it, or I'll never do it." Kyoya said nothing for a moment, then he stood. He walked in front of her in a way she knew was supposed to intimidate her, but she didn't balk.

"You won't have to clean or do menial chores for us anymore." Kyoya said, "And if you get… oh, let's say, 500 customers to designate you, then your debt will be paid off." Mira's eyes widened, "Provided that all 500 of those customers are men, if they're women, it won't count."

"So… all I have to do is host, and the remainder of my debt is paid off?" She asked, Kyoya nodded. "I didn't think this was in my contract."

"I'll modify it so it will fit." Kyoya said, he held out his hand to her, "Do we have a deal?" The host club was completely silent as they waited for her answer. Mirabella seemed to mull if over in her mind, staring at Kyoya's hand the entire time. Tamaki clenched his fists as he waited for her to say something. Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes bore holes into her as they waited for her answer. Haruhi waited with a patient posture and face for Mirabella to shake Kyoya's hand. Honey leaned forward on his cousin's shoulders to see if her hand would move. Mori's face was stoic as usual, but on the inside, even he was waiting for her answer.

Finally, Mira smirked and she reached out and shook Kyoya's hand.

"You got a deal!"


	10. Chapter 10 - The Tomboy Type

10

"YAY!" Honey cheered, jumping off Mori's shoulders and running over to Mirabella, "Mira-chan's joining the host club! Yay!" He wrapped his arms around her waist as gently as he could in his excitement. Mira laughed and petted the blonde's head.

"Mira-sempai!" Tamaki cheered, running over to her and putting his arms around her neck, "You have no idea how happy daddy is! This is going to be so much fun!" Mira elbowed his gut and he leaned over, holding it in pain.

"No hugs." Mira said.

"But Honey-sempai gets to!" Tamaki whined, Mira turned to the host in question and ruffled his hair.

"That's because Honey-sempai's very sweet and he's trying very hard not to hurt me." Mira said, "That, and I trust him more than you." A waterfall of tears began pouring down Tamaki's face.

"What about us?" The twins asked, sliding over on both of her sides. Mira stared at them gruffly.

"Not really." She said, "It's kind of hard to trust the two  _openly incestuous_  twins." The twins pouted and pulled away.

"As excited as I'm sure everyone is," Kyoya began, "We have some business to discuss concerning our latest member." Everyone looked over at him, "Mira-sempai is going to need a type."

Mira quirked an eyebrow at him, "Type of what?" She asked. Tamaki shot up from his depression.

"That's right!" He said, "Mira-sempai needs a type!"

"Type of  _what?_!" Mira asked again, Tamaki turned to her.

"Why, a hosting type, of course." He said, "Everyone in the host club has one." He pointed to himself, "Like I am the princely type, Honey is the boy Lolita, the twins are the devil type, Mori is the wild type, Kyoya's the cool type, and Haruhi is the natural type." He pointed to each host as he named their type, "We're not really familiar with host types for girls…"

" _But we know someone who is_!" The twins sang.

Mirabella looked over at them and was about to ask who when she suddenly heard the sound of someone going, "Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!" Then the ground began to shake, and for a moment, she thought it was an earthquake, but quickly realized it was the effects of a powerful motor. The laughing continued as a podium began to slowly drill its way up out of the ground, with a girl in the Ouran school uniform standing on top of it. She had long, light brown hair, the bangs held back by a big, pink ribbon. She stood with her fists on her hips and her legs spread apart. She kept laughing as the podium came to a stop three feet above the ground.

When it came to a complete stop, she stopped laughing and changed her position. She put her legs together and stood up straight, placing her elbow in one hand and her other hand under her chin, closing her eyes.

"The host club is finally adding a female into the mix!" She said, opening her eyes to reveal two brown orbs, "This is truly a day to be remembered." Mirabella grimaced as she went into a girly sort of fan-mode, "Do you know how many love triangles can be made from  _this?_! Oh, the drama!"

"I agree wholeheartedly, Renge-kun." Kyoya said, "But first we must decipher her type before any pairings can be made for your host club doujinshi's." The girl nodded and jumped off the podium, walking up next to him.

"You couldn't be more right, Kyoya!" She said, "Now, to create her type, we must first evaluate her appearance!" A determined fire shone in her eyes. "First! The dye job!" She pointed to Mira's neon blue streak, and Mira fingered it unsurely, "The foreign look of her face!" She pointed to her face and Mira stared at Renge's finger, "The sloppy way she dresses in the school uniform!" She pointed to Mira's un-tucked shirt, loose tie, open jacket, and somewhat messy slacks. Mira looked down at her clothes, pulling on the shirt a little, "Her gigantic chest!" Renge pointed to Mira's D-cup sized breasts, and Mira immediately covered them with a blush, "And finally…!" Renge did a dramatic twirl and pointed her finger at Mira's mouth, "Her perfectly refined, and totally never-been-kissed lips!" Mira's blush deepened.

"Who the hell said I haven't been kissed?" She demanded angrily, but Renge ignored her.

"Next, we take in her personality!" Renge said, she held up her index finger, "Firstly! She participates in kendo, and she's good at it." She held up another finger, "Secondly! She's protective of her younger sister." She held up another finger, "Thirdly! She has a rough outside, but a possibly a soft inside." She held up a fourth finger, "And fourthly!" She dramatically pointed her finger at Mira, "She is, without a doubt, a  _virgin_!" Mira opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it.

"Actually, I'm not ashamed to admit that." She said, "Virginity is virginity, after all."

"She can also be very easy-going!" Renge said, "And with the facts that I've been given as to who she is, I can determine that Mirabella Marino is, in fact…!" All the host club members leaned in to hear her answer as she took a dramatic pause, "The Tomboy type! Also sometimes referred to as the Tsundere." Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Honey 'ooh'ed at her answer. Mirabella raised an eyebrow at her answer.

"That's it?" She asked, " _I_  could have told you that."

"So, for this type, you need to act accordingly!" Renge said, ignoring her once more, "You've already gotten how to dress for the part, but you need to act like it, too." Mira listened with feigned interest as Renge went into a rant, explaining to her in unnecessary detail how to be a Tomboy type hostess.

* * *

"I feel so stupid…" Mira mumbled as she pulled on her costume. The host club had decided on doing the theme of cowboys and Indians for the day, and she was dressing up in a very poorly made Pocahontas costume. She pulled the only strap onto her shoulder and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress showed a lot more skin than she would have liked, showing off her bare legs and arms. She was thankful the twins were able to get her a strapless bra to wear underneath, at least. She sighed and walked out of the dressing room, "Okay, I'm done."

"Mira-chan!" Honey cheered, prancing over to her, "Look! We match!" He pointed to his little Indian costume and then to hers. Honey was without a shirt, and he wore little baggy pants, the head band on his head had two feathers put into it, one red, one white, and his face had been decorated in Indian style markings. Even his favorite stuffed pink bunny had been dressed up for the day. Mira smiled at him.

"Yeah, I guess we do." She ruffled his hair and walked past him, when she suddenly felt two pairs of arms grab her own. "Hey!" She glared at the two twins, dressed in identical cowboy outfits.

"You're not ready yet!" The twins said, and they began to drag her away.

"You still need to have face paint!" Hikaru said.

"And we need to style your hair!" Kaoru said. Mira glared at the two of them.

"Since when did I ask for your help?" She demanded with a snarl, she tried to squirm out of their hold, but they would not let go. "No! I don't wanna!" It was at that moment, Isabella decided to walk in to see how her sister was doing, only to see her being dragged unwillingly into a back room by the twins, "Let me go, dammit!" They shut the doors behind her, and the younger sister felt a strange sense of dread. Tamaki saw her come in and walked over to her.

"Did Mira invite you again, Isabella-chan?" He asked, Isabella looked up at him.

"No, I was just asked to give her this." Isabella held up a white envelope, "I don't know who they were, but they told me to give it to my sister."

"What is it?" Tamaki asked, taking the envelope from her hands. Isabella shrugged.

"I don't know." She replied, "I haven't opened it yet." Honey and Mori came over, having overheard the entire conversation.

"Who's it from?" Honey asked, taking the envelope from Tamaki's hands. Isabella shrugged again.

"I don't know." She said again, "But I know he doesn't go to our school, he was wearing a totally different uniform." Honey reached up to show it to Mori, who took it from him.

"Maybe it's a love letter!" Honey suggested cheerily. Mori felt himself twitch at the statement, he didn't really like the idea of Mira getting a love letter from someone…

"DAMN YOU TWINS!" Mira shouted angrily, "I'M GONNA KLL YOU!" The twins ran out of the room, Mira hot on their tails. Her hair had been braided and held back by a headband, and her face had a few Indian-style marks on her face that were mostly pink and red, and a smudged heart had been painted on her cheek. The twins ran away as she held out her hands, ready to strangle them both.

"Hey, Mira!" Isabella called out, getting her attention. The older sister stopped in her tracks and saw her sister standing over by some of the other host club members. She waved her over and Mira did so. Isabella looked her up and down confusedly, "What are you wearing?"

"My costume." Mira said nonchalantly.

"I thought you only had to dress up as a maid?" Isabella asked.

"Oh, yeah, well…" Mira began, "See, the thing is…"

"Mira-sempai's part of the host club now!" Tamaki said, grabbing onto Mira's shoulders and pulling her into his arms. He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head, "Now daddy's little girl can have just as much fun as daddy does!" Mira glared at him and punched his chin, making him back off, holding it tenderly, "Ow! Why do you keep doing that?"

"Why do you keep calling yourself 'daddy'?" She asked, "It's a little creepy, you know." Tamaki frowned at her, Mira ignored him and turned back to her sister, "So, yeah, I'm doing the host club thing now. It's an easier way to pay off my debt, when I consider my options." Isabella's face broke out into a huge grin. She hugged her sister around the neck.

"Oh, yay! Mira, I'm so happy for you!" She said, "You finally made some good friends!" Mira scowled and pushed her sister away.

"How many times do I have to say it? They're not my friends!" Mira shouted, Isabella nodded with a sly smile.

"Sure, they're not." She said, she took the envelope from Mori's hands and gave it to her, "By the way, someone asked me to give this to you." Mira took the envelope from her sister and began opening it.

"Who was it?" She asked, Isabella shrugged.

"I don't know," She said, "But his uniform was kind of greenish, and his hair was all spiked up." Mira looked up in surprise.

"Seriously?" She asked, her sister nodded, she looked back at the envelope pulling out the letter. On the inside it read,

_New time: 10:30_  
 _Sunday.  
_ _Usual spot._

_-K_

The host club looked over her shoulder as she read the letter.

"What kind of love letter is  _that_?" The twins asked, Mira jumped and hugged the letter to her chest so they wouldn't see it.

"It's not a love letter, you morons!" She said, she tore up the letter and crumpled it up, throwing it away, "It's just junk mail." She walked away from the group of hosts who stared after her. Tamaki was about to ask something when the clock struck four, and they got into their positions (They pushed Mira into her spot next to Mori because they never told her where she was supposed to go.)

Each girl went to their favorite host, letting Mira be by herself. She wasn't surprised that none of the girls wanted to talk to her, even if they did, it wouldn't have made a difference in her debt.

"M-Mirabella-san?" She looked up to see a familiar face looking back at her in shock.

"Ka-Kasanoda-san!" Mira exclaimed, her face flushing in shame when he saw her looking up and down, "Uh, I-I can explain…"

"What are you  _wearing_?" Kasanoda asked, "I thought you just cleaned up after the host club!"

"I do! Well, I used to…" Mira said, "Look, it's a long story, okay?"

"What's  _this?_!" Renge's voice called out, the two looked to see a huge crowd of fan girls looking at them, "Ritsu Kasanoda has a new love interest!"

" _Love interest?_!" Kasanoda and Mirabella exclaimed at the same time, both their faces flushed furious shades of red as they began to stutter out excuses.

"No! No, no, no! It's not like that!" Kasanoda said.

"Yeah, Kasanoda-san and I are just friends!" Mirabella said, then a thought occurred to her, "By the way…" She turned to him, "What  _are_  you doing here, Kasanoda-san?" He jumped at the question.

"Um…" His flush deepened, "Yeah, I came to see Haruhi." Mira raised an eyebrow at his behavior, then she figured out why.

" _Oh_ , right." She said, "Okay, well I won't stop you."

"Why are you here, in that get up, exactly?" Kasanoda asked.

"Oh, I'm the newest member of the host club." Mira said idly, not seeing the huge reaction from the fan girls, "First hostess, apparently."

"Seriously?" Kasanoda asked, "Why?"

"I have a debt to pay, so I cut a deal." Mira said, "Do you know how much work I end up having to do because these guys can't clean up after themselves?" She pointed her thumb at the host club, "It's ridiculous! You'd think that they'd know how to do it, but  _no_. They end up hiring maids or something instead."

"So, you can be designated?" Kasanoda asked.

"Only by men." Mira said, "I have to designated by guys to get my debt paid off. Women can too, it just wouldn't make a difference."

"Oh, well…" Kasanoda said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, "I still want to designate Haruhi, so…"

"Didn't you hear what I said before, moron?" Mira asked, "I said I'm not going to stop you. Go ahead." Kasanoda grinned and nodded at her as he went over to Haruhi's table. Mira walked over to her own table and was surprised to already see a few boys from the kendo team there. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Marino-sempai." One of them, his name was Shiro, greeted back.

"I didn't think I'd get anyone today." She said, sitting down next to Shiro, "Least of all someone from the kendo club."

"Yeah, well, Ootori-san came over and told us we could designate you as a host." Takahiro said, "And… well, we  _had_  to come see it." Mira rolled her eyes inwardly.

"Okay, well," She made herself comfortable on the couch, "Let's get this thing started then."

* * *

"Bye guys!" Mira waved to the three boys, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Marino-sempai!" Shiro called.

"Goodbye!" The other boys called, walking out after the girls. Mira's eyes widened when she saw one of them turn around and come back, his face flushed.

"Um… Marino-sempai?" He asked, smiling sheepishly.

"Yes, Akito-san?" Mira asked.

"Um… tomorrow…" He looked down at his hands, "Can I designate you tomorrow…?" Mira smiled brightly.

"Of course you can!" She said happily, "I'd really appreciate that, Akito-san!" His blush deepened.

"Okay… Um…" He started to walk away, "See you tomorrow then…" He quickly rushed out so no one would see his flushed face. Mira waved goodbye.

"See you!" She chirped, once the door shut she wiped the smile from her face and slumped her shoulders, "Oh my  _God_. How do you guys  _do_  this every day?" She rubbed her cheeks, "I haven't fake laughed so much in  _years_! My cheeks are so freaking sore." The twins slid up to her side.

"Maybe you just need to smile more." Hikaru said.

"Yeah, be happy!" Kaoru said. Mira glared at them.

"I  _am_  happy." She growled.

"Then where's your smile?" The twins asked, pointing to smiles on their own faces. An angry vein appeared on Mira's head as she glared at them.

"I'll be smiling when you two are  _smashed to a pulp_!" She snarled, shaking her fist threateningly, the twins instantly backed off. Mira relaxed, putting her hands on her hips. She turned to Kyoya, "I didn't think you'd go to the kendo team for my first customers. Then you had me dress up in that skimpy thing. That's pretty sneaky."

Kyoya grinned as he pushed his glasses up his nose, "Actually, you'd be surprised at how many admirers you've gained from the kendo team alone. I simply used that to my advantage, the fact that the twins made your outfit, as you put it, 'skimpy' is just plain luck."

" _Right_." Mira said, not believing him for a second.


	11. Chapter 11 - Beach Vacation Part 1

11

_A few weeks later…_

"…The beach?" Mira asked, looking at Honey dubiously.

Honey nodded his head vigorously, "Yeah! My dad's having some important people come visit this weekend, so he's having Takashi take me, and Chika-chan to the beach! I invited the rest of the host club, too!"

"No thanks." Mira said, turning to the homework in front of her, "Never been very fond of beaches. Ask Izzy, though. She loves tropical places." Honey's lip jutted out into an adorable pout.

"But it won't be any fun if you don't come with us!" Honey whined, grabbing onto her sleeve. Mira looked up from her homework but didn't look at the tiny third year grabbing onto her arm. She let out an aggravated sigh.

"I can't, Honey." She said, "I have stuff to do this weekend."

"What kind of stuff?" Honey asked.

"Just… girl stuff." Mira answered vaguely, "You wouldn't get it."

"Is it a family thing?" Honey asked.

"No." Mira said.

"Is somebody in trouble?" Honey asked.

"No." Mira said.

"Is somebody going to die?" Honey asked, Mira took a moment to think about this, putting her hand to her chin.

" _Well…_ " She shook her head, "No, probably not."

"Then why can't you come with us?" Honey whined. Mira looked down at him and jumped when she saw the face he was giving her. It had to be the saddest puppy dog pout she had ever seen. Mira let out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, Honey…" She began.

" _Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease_?" Honey begged, making his eyes even bigger, and Mira jumped when she started to see tears in his eyes.

"Ack! No, no! Don't cry!" She begged, "I'll come! I'll come!" A smile flitted onto Honey's face.

"You promise?" He asked excitedly. Mira sighed again.

"Yes, I promise…" She groaned out. Her eyes widened when Honey jumped up and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"Yay!" He cheered, he jumped off, "I'm gonna go tell everyone the good news! Bring a cute bathing suit!" He skipped off somewhere and Mira didn't get up after him. Instead, she smiled to herself and shook her head.

"He's too adorable for his own good." She muttered to herself, getting back to her homework.

If Mira had bothered to see where Honey was going, she would have found out that the entire host club (Minus Mori) was waiting around the corner for Honey. They looked at him expectantly as he came up to them.

He smiled and gave them a thumbs-up, "She said she'd come!" He said. Tamaki and the twins smiled, jumping up in happiness.

"Yes!" Tamaki said, "Now, operation 'Secret Beach Romance' is now in progress!" He looked back at the other hosts, "I'm going to go tell Isabella-chan! She's definitely going to help Mira pick out a good swimsuit!" He grabbed Kyoya's hand, "Come on, Kyoya!" He dragged him along as he went to go and tell Isabella the news. Honey looked back at the twins and Haruhi.

"You think this plan will work?" He asked. The twins nodded.

"Sure." They said, "Normally the boss's plans are stupid, but this one's full proof!"

* * *

"Ooh! This one's cute!" Isabella said, holding a little pink bikini. Mira blushed furiously at the sight of it and pushed it back.

"That thing's  _tiny_!" She hissed, "Put it back!" Isabella pouted and placed the swimsuit back on the rack. "Why are you making me buy a bathing suit anyway? The ones I have at home still fit."

"Yeah, but those are all one pieces!" Isabella whined, "When you're going to a beach…" She picked a slighter larger yellow and white polka dot bikini off the rack and held it up, "You gotta strut your stuff! You know what they say! 'When you got it, flaunt it!'" She put the bikini against her sister's clothed body, "This looks good!"

"Izzy…" Mira started, her sister didn't seem to hear her as she kept talking.

"You know what this suit reminds me of?" She asked, "That one song! You know, the one that goes ' _she wore an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny yellow polka-dot bikini. That she wore for the first time that day…'_ "

"Izzy!" Mira said, getting her attention, "That song was stuck in my head for  _three days_! I don't need you repeating it!" Isabella smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Sorry." She said, "But you have to admit, it's pretty cute!" She held up the bikini again and Mira pushed it away.

"Izzy, no." She said, "Look, it's  _just_  a trip to the beach. I don't see why I can't wear a normal one piece instead." Izzy puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

"Mira, come on!" She whined, "It's the  _beach_! You  _have_  to wear a bikini!" She poked Mira's stomach, "I mean, all those years of sports have done wonders for your figure." Mira moved her hand away, "You might meet a cute boy down there! Come on!"

"Izzy,  _no_!" Mira insisted, "I don't need to wear a tiny bikini to the beach! Every time I do, I always feel naked!" She grimaced when she saw Isabella make the same puppy dog pout Honey had made the other day.

"Please?" She begged, "Just buy one bikini, and I'll never bug you about it again! Please, please, please, please, please, please,  _pleeeeeeeeeeease_?" Mira stared at it for a moment, and then sighed, running her hand through her hair.

"Why am I always a sucker for the face?" She muttered to herself, "Fine." Isabella squealed and wrapped her arms around her sister, " _But_! But, but, but…" She pushed her sister away a bit, "Just  _one_. That's all I'm getting, okay? One."

"That's fine with me!" Isabella said, "Now, which one, which one? It has to be cute, or I'll never let you leave the store!"

* * *

_Saturday, five minutes from Mira's pick-up_

"Al!" Mira called as she went through her drawers, "Al, where the hell is my blue swimsuit?"

"How should  _I_  know?" Alfonso called back.

"Because I'm looking for it!" Mira shouted back, rummaging through a different drawer for her blue one piece.

"Well, where'd you see it last?" Alfonso asked.

"In my dresser!" Mira said, then a thought occurred to her and she slammed the drawer shut, "Izzy!  _Where_  is my blue one piece?"

" _What_  one piece?" Isabella called back.

"You know damn well which one!" Mira shouted, poking her head out her door, "Did you take it? I swear to God, Izzy, if you took all my bathing suits-!" Isabella walked out of her room, an innocent look on her face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, Mira felt her eyebrow twitch angrily.

"You  _did_  take them, didn't you!" She accused.

"Well, you wouldn't wear the bikini if I didn't!" Isabella said, she crossed her arms over her chest proudly, "So I hid them somewhere you'll  _never_  find them!" Mira walked up to her and looked straight into her sister's eyes. She searched them for a moment, then she spoke.

"They're under your mattress, aren't they?" She asked. Isabella's smile fell and she paled for a second, then she dashed off for her room. "Hey!" Mira ran after her, "Give me back my swimsuits!" Both girls ignored the sound of the doorbell as Mira ran after her sister to her room. Kenneth glanced up at the two girls as they passed by the top of the stairs and went to answer the door. He opened it to see a group of boys.

"Is Mira-chan ready to go?" The smallest one asked, Kenneth held up his index finger.

"One second." He said, he cracked the door as he hollered, "Mirabella! Your friends are here!" He watched as she ran after her sister, who held a bundle of swimsuits in her hands.

"They're not my friends!" Mira said before she tried to tackle her sister. She fell over, but she quickly wiggled away. Mira cursed before she got up and went after her as her sister dashed into her room, "You gimme back my swimsuits!" The host club listened as different sounds were heard in the struggle. The sounds of crashes and things being knocked over, the sound of Isabella's squeals and Mira's curses, and finally, the sound of something ripping. "Damn it, Izzy!"

"Hah! Now you don't have a choice!" Isabella exclaimed triumphantly. The door was opened wider as a very disgruntled and angry looking Mira coming towards them with her suitcase. She walked past her brother, who bid her goodbye, and she said goodbye back.

"What happened in there?" Haruhi asked.

"Izzy ripped my one piece." Mira grumbled, walking over to where a large stretch limo waited.

"Have fun at the beach~!" Isabella sing-songed from the window. She ducked when Mira threw a rock at her from the ground. She stuck out her tongue at her sister when she missed. Mira growled in the back of her throat as she tossed her suitcase into the very spacey trunk. She waited until the host club had filed into the limo before she came in. When she did, Honey scooted over so she could sit between him and Mori, and she did so. She felt a bit awkward being pressed up against the large kendo captain, but she didn't complain.

* * *

"Ta-da!" Honey cheered as they pulled up to a beach house some few hours later, "The Haninozuka beach house!" Everyone looked up at the home. It was more of a mansion than anything! It was three stories high, and there had to be at least twenty rooms per floor, be it bedroom, bathroom, or just a media room. Mira and Haruhi gawked at it for a second, both of them silently cursing the rich bastards that had brought them here. Then they saw how everyone else pretty much ignored it and went to get their bags out of the car. Mira went over and picked hers up, and it was suddenly much lighter than she remembered. She looked to see that Mori had grabbed it as well, and gently pulled it from her hands. He didn't say a word as he took his own bag and shouldered the both of them as he walked into the house. Mira stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, then followed him.

The foyer of the house was as luxurious as the rest of the house, with a crystal chandelier hanging over them that was lit beautifully. The walls were a light, pastel blue and there were a few shells decorating any tables or counters nearby. It seemed the Haninozuka's had this place designed with a beach theme while still being elegant in one of the ways Mira found obnoxious. She looked up as a boy with golden brown hair and glasses came walking down the stairs, a serious expression on his face. Mira raised a questioning eyebrow at him when he looked over at her. She looked over at Honey.

"Hey, who's this?" She asked, pointing her thumb at the young boy.

"That's Chika-chan!" Honey chirped, "He's my younger brother!" Mira jumped for a second, then looked back at Yasuchika Haninozuka, seeing a mild resemblance between the two, but that's not what caught her off guard. Honey was about a foot shorter than his brother. There was once a time when Alfonso was shorter than Kenneth when they were children (Alfonso was three minutes older than Kenneth) but that only lasted about seven months before Alfonso hit his own growth spurt and the two were the same height again. But, in time, they grew to the heights they were now, and stayed that way.

He regarded her with a steely expression as he walked by her. She held out her hand to him, "Um… Nice to meet you?" She said, unsure of whether he actually wanted to talk with her. Yasuchika looked at the hand, then stiffly shook it. Mira tried to shrug it off, but that was proving rather difficult.  _What's up_ his _butt?_ She thought to herself.

He didn't even look at the rest of the host club as he walked by them, not saying a word. Honey turned to Mira and smiled, "Don't worry, Mira-chan. He likes you."

"Really? I couldn't tell." She muttered, looking after him as he went into another room. Honey jumped out in front of everyone and started to address them.

"Okay, we don't have enough rooms for everyone to have their own, so we need to split it up." Honey said, "Haru-chan and Mira-chan are sharing a room, I'm sharing a room with Takashi, Tama-chan and Kyo-chan are sharing a room, Hika-chan and Kao-chan are sharing a room, and Chika-chan gets his own room." He smiled, "The girls' room is the one closest to the bathrooms and mine and Takashi's room is across from them. Everyone else gets to pick which one they want!" Everyone nodded and headed upstairs. Mori grabbed Mira's bag again and walked up the stairs. Mira shared a glance with Haruhi before they both followed Mori up the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs, they saw Mori waiting for them in front of a pair of doors. They walked up to him and he opened the door to reveal what they assumed was their bedroom. It was a lovely room, with white walls and red carpeting. There were two, ten foot tall windows that led out to a balcony that had a beyond perfect view of the beach. There were two single beds with canopies hanging over them beautifully. There were two doors opposite the walls the beds were against, one led to a large, walk in closet, the other to a private bathroom. Mori went over to one of the beds and set Mira's bag down on it, then proceeded to walk out of the room.

"Thanks, Mori." Mira said to him as he left. He smiled at her before he went out the door, then turned to find his room. Mira turned to Haruhi, "Which bed do you want?"

Haruhi shrugged, "Either's fine by me, it doesn't really matter." Mira shrugged and walked over to the bed Mori had put her bag on, sitting on the covers.

"Wow!" She exclaimed, running her fingers over the material, "This is so soft!" She lay down on the bed happily, "This is nothing like my own bed. It's nice." Haruhi walked over to the other bed and sat down on it as well, smiling when she felt the material.

"It  _is_  nice." She said, she copied Mira and lay back on the bed as she did, her hands behind her head as they stared up at the canopies above their beds. The two girls said nothing as they both sighed contentedly, tempted to take a long nap in the beds they laid on. But it didn't happen, seeing as someone excitedly knocked on their door. Tamaki burst into the room, and the two girls tried to ignore him, but he spoke too loud.

"Don't start unpacking just yet, girls!" He said excitedly, "We're going to the beach right away, so get ready!" He closed the door and the two girls groaned.

"Ruin it, why don't you." Mira muttered as she got up, Haruhi doing the same. They both began rummaging through their bags for the swimsuits they packed.

"Oh,  _no_." Haruhi groaned once she unzipped her bag. Mira looked up.

"What?" She asked.

"My dad repacked my suitcase again." She sighed, pulling out a frilly, pink dress. Mira put her hand to her mouth to keep from snorting aloud at the sight of it, "He always does this…"

"Well, what did he pack for a swimsuit?" Mira asked, Haruhi rummaged around and pulled out a pink, flowery one piece. Mira couldn't help the snickers that came out of her mouth this time. Haruhi glared at her.

"Well, is  _yours_  any better?" She asked, Mira stopped laughing instantly. She didn't say anything as she reached into her bag and pulled out a bundle, hiding it from Haruhi in a towel.

"I'm just gonna go change…" Mira muttered as she walked into the private bathroom. Haruhi shrugged off her odd behavior as she began to put on her own swimsuit.

* * *

Mira grimaced at the sight of the bikini. Isabella had picked out one she thought would 'fit her figure'. She internally groaned. It wasn't a tiny little thing on strings, but it didn't exactly cover everything, either. It was a white bikini, with blue tracing the edges of it. It was held up by metal rings, except for the back, which was just a little thing you tied together. She sighed and began undressing so she could wear it. She would have to make sure to put on more sunscreen than she ever had in her life so she wouldn't get burned.

When she finally got the top on, she carefully tied a bow in the back so the top wouldn't fall off. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she blushed furiously. She cursed her sister in her mind for picking out something so… unlike her.  _Maybe I can cover it up…_  She reached for the towel and wrapped it around her torso, like she would have if she were coming out of the shower. She went over herself in the mirror, deciding this was presentable, and stepped out.

When Haruhi was ready, the two girls stepped out, and were not at all surprised to see some of the boys already waiting for them. Tamaki and the twins stared at the towel wrapped around Mira, and when Mira noticed their perusal, she growled out, "What?"

"Why do you have a towel on, Mira-sempai?" Tamaki asked, pointing at the towel. Mira's arms instantly went to where the towel had been tucked into itself and blushed.

"I'm cold!" She snapped, "It was cold in the bathroom so I put on a towel to warm myself up!" She stormed away from him, "Let's just get this over with…" When she was out of ear shot, the twins and Tamaki began whispering amongst themselves.

"I don't get it!" Tamaki whispered, "Isabella-chan said she'd get her sister the perfect bikini! We can't tell if she's wearing it or not under the towel!"

"Maybe she is!" Hikaru whispered, "That's why she was cold, it shows a lot of skin."

"Ooh, good point." Kaoru whispered.

"But how will we know for sure?" Tamaki whispered, "And we need to make sure Mori-sempai sees it!" The twins flashed their famous, devilish grins.

"Just leave that to us!" They said, pointing their thumbs at their chests.

"Hey!" Mira called from the bottom of the stairs, "Are you pea-brains coming or not?" The three of them rushed down the steps to where Mira, Haruhi, Honey, and Mori were waiting.

* * *

Mira sat under a parasol as she watched the boys having fun. Honey was swimming in the ocean using a little Usa-chan inner tube to ride the waves, Mori was in the water with him, watching over him. Tamaki was building a sandcastle with Haruhi (Against her will), Kyoya was sitting in the beach chair next to her, typing away on his laptop, and the twins… Well, the twins were nowhere in sight, and that worried her.

" _Miiiii-ra-sempai_!" Two identical voices sang out as two pairs of hands attached themselves to her shoulders. She jumped at the feel, then she swung her arm around to hit them, but they jumped back in time to avoid it. Once her arm was down, the two of them wrapped their arms around her torso, pinning her arms to her body without her realizing it.

"Ne, Mira-sempai," Hikaru began, "Why are you wearing a towel?"

"I  _told_  you, because I'm cold!" Mira said, blushing at the mention of it.

"But it's 83 degrees out," Kaoru said, "You can't be cold in this weather." As much as Mira hated to admit it, this freaky autumn heat was tempting her to take the towel off, and she was sweating a bit. She did not dare remove the towel, though. If anyone caught her in that tiny suit, most of all, the host club, she would be humiliated.

"I'm just cold, okay?" Mira snapped, "Now, leave me alone!" The twins shook their heads.

"Nope." They said, "We wanna see your swimsuit!" Mira's face blushed a furious red and she tried to squirm out of their grip.

" _What?_! No!" She said as they stood her up, her shouts catching everyone's attention, "Put me back down!" Kaoru found the corner of the towel that was tucked in and pulled it up. They pulled it off dramatically to show her in the bikini Isabella had bought her. She squealed and tried to get her towel back, but the twins wouldn't give it back. As she chased after them, the others did nothing but watch. Honey stole a sideways look at his cousin and saw his eyes fixated on Mira.

Although Honey couldn't hear it, Mori's heart was pounding in his chest. He had seen Mira's figure before, and it was rather slim, but  _this_ … Well, he could see some of the muscles on her stomach, and her torso appeared more shapely than before. He felt heat come up to his cheeks, but he quickly pushed it back down and turned his attention back to his cousin.

Honey saw this and shouted, "Mira-chan, you look cute!" The girl instantly stopped running and looked over at Honey with a blush, then she saw the look on Mori's face and her blush deepened. She went after the twins with more effort than before and finally managed to tackle one to the ground, specifically, the one that held her towel.

"So help me, Hikaru…" She growled, pinning his arms and legs with her own arms and legs, "You give me back my towel, or I'll break every bone in your body!"

"I'm not Hikaru, I'm Kaoru." The twin said, sounding offended.

"Fine, give me back my towel,  _Kaoru_ ," Mira corrected, "Or  _I'll break every bone in your body_!"

"If I give it back, will you get up?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes." Mira said, Kaoru smirked.

"But why would I want such a lovely, bikini beauty to get off?" He asked, Mira blushed even more than she thought possible, he wiggled his hips with a smirk, "Especially when she's straddling me?" Mira growled and reached up to Kaoru's hand and grabbed it, pressing her thumb in between his knuckles on a specific part of his hand and Kaoru cried out in pain, "OW! Ow, ow, ow, ow,  _ow_!"

"Give me back my towel, or I'll break your fingers!" Mira threatened, increasing the pressure on his hand, Kaoru cried out again.

"Ouch! Okay,  _okay_! Here!" He handed her the beach towel back and she released his hand, getting up and draping the towel over her shoulders as she walked back to the parasol. She slammed down into the sand, bringing her knees up to her chest and burying her face in them to hide her blush.

"Come on, guys," Haruhi said to the twins, "I think you took that too far." The twins shrugged as if they didn't care, and then sent a thumbs-up to Tamaki, giving him a silent message.

_Phase 1: complete!_


	12. Chapter 12 Beach Vacation Part 2

12

"I'm gonna get a whole bucketful of shells!" Honey cheered happily, Mori and a towel-wrapped Mira following behind him, "Lots of different kinds, too!" He looked over at the two of them, "Hey, Mira-chan. Do you think we'll find a live clam out here?" Mira shrugged.

"It's possible." She said, "I'm not familiar with the lifestyle of the average clam though, so I wouldn't know for sure." That seemed to be enough for the little blonde, and he had an extra skip in his step.

At his request (More like begging, in Mira's case) Mira and Mori had come with Honey to hunt for seashells. He would run to the shore every now and then, finding something in the water and coming back with a scallop, or some kind of swirled shell with a hole in it somewhere. They would walk by different rocks that seemed to jut out of the sand and into the sunlight. There was damp moss at the base of some of the rocks, which would be nourished when high tide came up to the shore. The rest of the host club had remained where they were, or, that's what Mori and Mira thought, at least. Secretly, everyone was tailing them as they walked down the beach.

Mira felt three pairs of eyes looking at her and turned around, seeing nothing, she shrugged it off as paranoia because of her new swimsuit. When she faced the front again, Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru poked their heads out from behind the rock again.

"Come on, guys." Haruhi said to the three of them quietly, "Can't we just leave them alone? We'll know if your plan worked later."

"SHHH!" They hissed at her.

"Haruhi, the entire point of this trip was to help them fall in love!" Tamaki hissed.

"We have to make sure everything goes okay!" The twins said. Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"Okay, but why do  _I_  have to be dragged into this?" She mumbled, not getting an answer as the three of them kept spying on the third years.

"Mira-chan! Mira-chan!" Honey cried, running up to her with a new shell in his hand, "Look!" She leaned down to see what was so special about the shell.

"It's very nice, Honey." She said.

"No! Look  _inside_  it!" Honey said, holding it out to her. Mira picked it up and jumped when she felt something crawling out. She flipped it over to see that the shell was the home to a hermit crab! "Isn't it cute?" Mira fingered the tiny claw of the crustacean and it shied back into its shell. She giggled a little.

"It  _is_  kind of cute." She said, she handed it back to the blonde, "Go put it back in the ocean."

"Okay!" Honey said, prancing off again. Mira stood up straight and looked over at Mori, not saying anything. He didn't say anything back. Mira turned her attention back to Honey as he ran along the shore, still looking for shells. Mori's eyes were focused on his cousin, but slowly, they drifted down to Mira. The towel covered her front well, but not her back. It showed a little of her butt in the blue and white bikini as she walked. He realized he was staring and forced his eyes away, looking back at his cousin.

"You look good." Mori commented without realizing it. Mira whirled her head around to see him, and saw him looking at his cousin. She blushed and turned back to the path in front of her.

"Thanks…" She muttered. They both looked up when Honey came running back.

"Takashi!" He cried, "I can't find Usa-chan!" The two teenagers looked around, not seeing Honey's pink bunny anywhere.

"Well, where did you see him last?" Mira asked.

"Over in front of the house!" Honey said, "Do you think he might be there?"

"Well, most likely…" Mira said, Honey dashed off.

"I'm gonna go find him!" He shouted over his shoulder, "You guys wait here!"

"Uh, we could probably help you!" Mira shouted after him, but he pretended not to hear as he ran around the rock where the host club was hiding.

Mira and Mori stood in silence at Honey's sudden disappearance. They glanced at each other awkwardly, then looked away. Neither of them knowing what to say to the other. Mira fiddled the ends of the towel around her shoulders, looking at anything but Mori, and he stood still, not looking at her either. Eventually, it got to a point where they turned away from each other, looking away in opposite directions as they waited for Honey to return with his prized pink bunny. The truth was, the twins had been holding onto Usa-chan until Honey came and joined them as they hid behind the rocks, watching them.

Mira glanced over her shoulder at Mori the same time he looked over his shoulder at her. They caught each other's eyes and turned back to their fronts, the tension between them was just too awkward! You could chop it up with a knife, stick it in a barrel, and have pickled awkwardness ready to eat whenever you want.

She walked over to a nearby rock to sit next to it, because she was tired of standing and waiting, and sat down on something that poked her bare thigh.

"Ow!" She cried, jumping up. Mori turned to her immediately and saw her rubbing the upper part of her thigh, "What did I sit on…?" She knelt down and dug around for whatever had poked her. Mori knelt down to see what it was she would find and she came up with a perfectly intact conch shell. She smiled at the sight of it and began inspecting it, "Cool! I've never seen a perfect conch shell before." Mori had to admit, he had never seen one either, and was a little surprised that she had found it. Mira looked at the top of it, and saw a hole poking through the shell. "Check it out." She showed it to Mori, who saw that he could fit his pinky finger inside it before handing it back to her, "I bet you can blow it like one of those fancy horns." Mira said, taking the shell putting it near her lips. She blew it like she would a trumpet, and nothing happened, she tried again, and nothing happened. On the third time, she realized why it wasn't making any noise, something had been stuffed into the top of it and it just needed the right amount of air blown in to get it out.

And it did come out, and went right onto Mori's face. It was clumped up sand that had been blocking the sound, and it had jumped out when she had blown the horn, smashing against Mori's nose and spreading out across his face. Mira put her hand to her mouth when she saw what she had done, looking at Mori's sand covered face. Then, she began to giggle behind her hand. Mori stared at her incredulously as the giggles became happy laughter.

"I-I'm sorry, Mori…!" Mira said between giggles, "But… The look on your face…!" Mori scowled playfully at her, then grabbed a handful of sand and put it on top of her head. She squealed and got up, "No! Don't get sand in my hair!" He smirked playfully and grabbed another handful as he got up and began to chase after her. She squealed when he threw it at her and she hid behind a rock, "Do you know how hard it is to wash sand out of long hair? Aah!" She ducked when he threw another handful at her and it hit the rock instead. "Okay, now you're gonna get it." Mira picked up her own handful and threw some at Mori's face. It didn't hit him directly, but he still got sand on him nonetheless. Mira laughed victoriously at him, pointing at where the sand had landed and he grinned in a dark but playful way. He grabbed another handful of sand and grabbed her waist, pulling her to him so she couldn't escape, and mussed the sand into her brown locks. She squealed and tried to squirm out of his grip, but he held her still.

"You jerk!" Mira exclaimed through her giggles, "How am I going to get this out now?" Mori seemed to think about it for a moment, then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, walking to the ocean. Mira began squirming to try and get out of his grip, but she still had a huge smile on her face as if she were playing a fun game, " _Mori_! Don't you  _dare_!  _Aah_!" He tossed her unceremoniously into the ocean water, towel and all. He laughed to himself as she came spluttering back up, her long hair over her eyes making her look a little like the girl from  _The Ring_. She shook her hair out of her eyes and scowled at him. "Mori!" She splashed some water at him and hit his shorts.

The host club watched this spectacle and smiled, this was exactly what they had been waiting for.

* * *

"That Mori…" Mira muttered, putting a second handful of shampoo in her hand and digging into the roots of her hair, scrubbing furiously. After her little 'sand war' with Mori, she had to go back to the house and take a shower, because she had sand in places she didn't even know she could  _get_  sand. She rinsed out the shampoo in her hair and stepped out, she looked for a towel to wrap herself in, but found none, "Haruhi, where are the towels?" When she didn't get a response, she poked her head out of the bathroom, "Haruhi?" The room was empty, Mira groaned. "Brilliant." She looked around to make sure she was really alone and stepped out of the bathroom, "Now where are those towels…?"

* * *

"Did you get them?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked Haruhi quickly as she came down the stairs carrying an armful of towels.

"Yes." She said, handing the towels to the twins, "But I don't see how taking all the towels from our bedroom is supposed to help with Tamaki-sempai's plan to get Mira-sempai and Mori-sempai together."

"This wasn't part of Tamaki-sempai's plan." The twins said with sly grins on their faces. Haruhi grimaced.

"What are you two planning?" She asked, the twins laughed darkly and she felt her stomach drop, "What did I just do?" They all turned their heads as Mori came closer.

"Mori-sempai!" The twins said, catching his attention as they came next to him. They held out the towels.

"Mira-sempai said she was about to run out of towels." Kaoru said.

"Can you take these up to her?" Hikaru said, "We want to play a game with Haruhi." They tossed the towels up and Mori caught them wordlessly.

"Thanks a lot!" They said, linking their arms with both of Haruhi's and dashing up the stairs.

"W-Wait a second!" Haruhi called as the twins dragged her away. "Hey!" Mori stared after them quietly before looking back at the towels. He shrugged and began walking up the stairs to the girl's room.

* * *

"Where are you hiding…?" Mira muttered as she rummaged through the dresser in the room. She wasn't exactly comfortable with her position at the moment. She was butt naked in the bedroom, not a towel or bathrobe or anything of the type in sight, and she really needed to dry off before she put on any clothes. At the rate this was going, though, she would be air-dried before she ever found the towels, if there were any in the room at all. "Come  _on_ …"

She heard the creak of the door open and she jumped up, instantly covering herself with her hands. In the doorway stood her classmate, holding an armful of white towels, his eyes were wide in surprise and his face was flushed in a furious shade of red. He seemed to be frozen in place as he stared at her naked form. Mori had seen the curves in the bikini, and as ashamed as he was to admit it, he was drawn to the part of her that had been covered up by the bathing suit. They seemed to be frozen for hours, but it was really only a couple milliseconds.

Considering the circumstances, Mori was not at all surprised at what happened next.

* * *

"EEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Mira's shriek ran throughout the walls of the house, catching everyone's attention from what they were doing. Tamaki had a worried look on his face at the sound. Kyoya looked up from his notepad in the direction the shriek had come from. Honey had paused in eating his cake and Yasuchika paused in his martial arts training. Haruhi grimaced, the sinking feeling in her stomach doubling in weight when she heard the cry. The twins gave each other a thumbs-up for a job well done. "GET! OUT!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

A door slam was heard. The hosts all shared glances with one another, and then dashed up the stairs to where the girl's room was. They stopped when they saw Mori leaning against a closed door, a hand running through his hair, his face flushed and sweating.

"Mori-sempai, what happened?" Tamaki asked, "Is Mira-sempai okay?" Mori said nothing as he moved away from the door and moving through the small crowd that had formed and heading down the stairs. Tamaki, worried about his newest 'daughter', burst into the room, "Mira-sempai-!"

" _Get out!_ " She screamed, throwing a shoe at his face. The door slammed shut and Tamaki fell over, Mira's sneaker lying on his face.

"Well, I think it's clear what happened here." Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up his nose, "Mori-sempai must have caught Mira-sempai when she was changing." He turned around, "I'm going back downstairs."

"I'm going to go talk to Takashi." Honey said, turning around and walking down the stairs after Kyoya.

Haruhi looked at the two twins with a grimace, "You two are awful." She said, walking back down the stairs.

"You like us anyway." The twins said, following her. Tamaki sat up, seeing he was all alone in the hallway.

"Wait up!" He whined, running down the stairs.

* * *

Mira had never screamed so loud in her life. She felt her throat burning as she tucked one end of the towel into herself and moved over to her packed suitcase, pulling out a new set of underwear and some clothes. Her face still felt warm from her surprised blush. She felt embarrassment still burning throughout her body at the incident. The only people who had seen her like…  _that_  was her family and the doctor who helped give birth to her. Now, she could add Takashi Morinozuka to the list. She squirmed unhappily at the thought.

A member of the host club had seen her  _naked_.

* * *

He had seen her  _naked_.

Naked!

The word seemed so foreign and disgusting, but also interesting and enticing at the same time. The fact that it was Mirabella Marino, his friend, classmate, fellow host(ess), and kendo team member, made it  _so_  much more awkward, mostly because she was really, really sexy with that figure. Thoughts like that had never entered his mind, at least, not about her. Until that moment, he had seen her as a friend, someone to chat with, spar with, and enjoy some time with.

Now he saw her as a woman, and that changed  _everything_.

He sighed to himself as he walked to the dining room, where everyone was waiting for dinner to start. Yasuchika had excused himself for the evening, so he wasn't going to join them. Mori took his place next to Honey and they waited for Mira and Haruhi to come and join them.

Only a moment later, the dining room door opened, showing Haruhi in the pink dress her father had packed for her, and Mira in a tank top and a pair of bellbottom jeans. Her hair was wet, so she was wearing it down, her neon blue streak clashing against her skin in a way that was only stylish by her standards. She met Mori's eyes and blushed, looking away, and he did the same.

It was just so freaking  _awkward!_

* * *

Neither one of the two teens could look at each other throughout the meal. Mira was too embarrassed about being seen naked and Mori was too embarrassed to see her face. Simply seeing the curves in her body was enough of a reminder of what had happened. They looked at anything but the other, and would do anything to change the subject.

This behavior was incredibly odd, and the entire host club noticed it.

After dinner, Tamaki "suggested" (Closer to ordered) them to take a walk on the beach to sort out whatever problems they had. When they protested to it, they were forced out onto the shore near the house, and they locked all the doors.

"And don't come back until you work it out!" Tamaki yelled from a window on the top floor. Mira glared at him from the ground.

"I hate you, Tamaki!" She shouted up at him.

"No, you don't!" Tamaki sang, shutting the window and leaving the two teenagers outside, alone, on the sandy shores of the beach on a starry night. Their eyes met again and they both quickly turned away. They stood there silently, not knowing what to do or say to ease the tension of the 'incident'.

Mori, deciding it best to try and make his friend less uncomfortable, tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She looked up at him and he pointed his thumb at the pathway they had followed earlier that day and began to walk in that direction. When Mira simply stood there, dumbly, not knowing whether he wanted to follow him or if he was simply telling her where he was going. When he turned back around, looking at her, he nodded his head in the direction he was going as a gesture for her to follow, so she did. They walked down the same path they had earlier, going past the same rocks and looking out at the sea that had been darkened by the night sky. Mira looked out, seeing the reflection of the moon's light in the waters, and stopped walking. She simply stared at it, watching it quiver and shake as the current moved the water.

Mori looked back when he noticed she had stopped following him and saw her staring out at the ocean. He walked up next to her and stared out at the dark waters, watching them rise and fall with the currents. Then, without realizing they had done it at the same time, they looked up at the night sky, gazing at all the glittering stars that shone. Seeing as they were far away from any city and its bright lights, they could see all the stars and constellations in all their glory, and Mira's eyes widened when she noticed the Milky Way dimly shining against the light of the full moon. She pointed it out to Mori, and dragged her finger along the trail it made in the sky.

"I've never seen the Milky Way before…" Mira murmured, looking up at it. Mori only replied with a small grunt. He stared at the sky for another moment, then looked back down at Mira.

"I'm sorry." He said, catching her attention as she turned her green-grey eyes to him. "I didn't mean to barge in like I did."

"It's okay." Mira said, turning to him fully, "I probably shouldn't have screamed so loud." Mori raised his eyebrow at her words, as if he was saying 'You're kidding, right?' "Or, what, would you prefer I scream  _louder_  or something?" Mori shook his head. The scream she had made the first time was just a few decibels under a voice that would shatter glass. "Why did you come up, anyway?" Mira asked, "I mean, I remember you had some towels that I needed, but..."

"The twins sent me up to give you towels." Mori said, Mira stopped on whatever she was about to say and looked back at him.

"The twins?" She repeated, " _They_  sent you up to give me towels?" Mori nodded his head once and Mira scowled, "Those freaking…" She looked back at the beach house, "They probably had this whole thing planned from the beginning!" Mori looked back to the beach house as well, a frown forming on his face at the thought of the twins playing pranks on the two of them, "I'm going to kill them!" She looked back at Mori, her smile changing into a devious grin, "Wanna help me get back at them?"

* * *

The next morning, the entire beach house was awoken by the similar screams of the twins. Mira and Mori were the only ones awake before they screamed, and they watched with smiles as the two twins ran screaming from their room, shaving cream in Kaoru's –Or at least who they assumed was Kaoru- hair and black doodles from a permanent marker covering Hikaru's body. The reason they ran from their room was because it had been decked out in toilet paper, and two carefully placed fishing lines that, when touched, would release a plastic monster mask right in front of the twins' faces. Apparently, it scared them enough to have them running from the room.

As they ran screaming past Mira, who was leaning up against the wall, and Mori, who stood beside her, the two of them grinned to themselves. They kept their eyes on the twins as they kept running down the hall, and Mira held out her hand, palm-up, to Mori. He gently slapped the low-five in satisfaction as they watched the results of their hard work go screaming into the kitchen.

* * *

"You  _jerks!_!" The twins shouted at Mori and Mira, who said nothing as they ate their breakfasts. Hikaru had washed off some of the marker stains on his skin, but there were smudges here and there along his face and torso. Kaoru's hair seemed disarrayed from having to take the time to wash the shaving cream out of his hair, but some of it had made his hair stick up in places it shouldn't have, giving him the look of multiple cowlicks.

" _You're_  the jerks." Mira replied as she stabbed her fork through her bacon, "You tricked Mori into coming up so he would see me naked, so you've not only scarred  _him_  for life," She pointed her thumb at Mori, who said nothing as he continued eating, "But you've also humiliated  _me_  to an extent I didn't know was possible." She showed the twins a devious and intimidating smile, "And you can bet there's gonna be a lot more hell to pay than this morning. So if I were you, I'd watch my ass." The twins' faces paled and they shrunk back, clinging to each other in fear.

"That's right, Mira-sempai!" Tamaki cheered from the other side of the table, "Show those devil-twins what for!" Mira waved him off uncaringly as she turned her attention back to her breakfast.

"Whatever." She said, "I just don't want to have to deal with tricking up their room again, 'cause it was pretty difficult last time." She glared up at the twins, "So don't give me a reason to! Got it?" The twins nodded as they waddled away, hiding behind Haruhi, who rolled her eyes at their behavior.

* * *

The rest of the day was, surprisingly pleasant. While mostly everyone went out to have fun on the beach again, Mira, and Haruhi stayed inside, simply enjoying the quiet. They had gotten the host club to stop bugging them about coming to the beach, sternly telling them 'no'. Haruhi simply sat in her room, studying a book on the English language when Mira came in, an old-looking book of fiction tucked under her arm. She raised a questioning eyebrow when she saw Haruhi studying the book intensely.

"You keep putting your head in that book, and you're nose is going to become the bookmark." Mira said, catching her attention, "Who studies on a vacation?"

"Someone who needs to keep their scholarship." Haruhi replied as she turned her attention back to the passage about learning to form sentences. Mira rolled her eyes and sat down on her bed, "I need to get my grades up in English, or I might not come back next year."

"Want some help?" Mira asked, Haruhi looked up from the book questioningly, staring over at Mira, "Have you forgotten? My family is from New York, I was raised in America, and English is my first language."

"Sorry," Haruhi said, "You speak Japanese so well, I had forgotten." Mira shrugged.

"I'm good at linguistics." She said absently, "So, what are you having problems with?" She leaned over in her bed to look at Haruhi's text book.

"Forming correct sentences." Haruhi said, pointing to the passage she was reading, "My teacher says I'm not getting the grammar right."

"How so?" Mira asked, looking up at her chocolate-eyed friend.

"Well, she says I ask questions the wrong way." Haruhi said, looking at the passage, "She tells me the way I say things wouldn't make any sense to someone who actually spoke English."

"Show me." Mira said, sitting up, "Ask me something in English." Haruhi nodded, setting the book down, but not closing it.

" **Sushi, how much is?** " She asked, her Japanese accent muddling the words slightly. Mira snorted aloud at Haruhi's attempt to speak in a different language, but tried to cover it up by putting her hand in front of her mouth, but she still giggled. Haruhi grimaced, "Did I actually say it wrong?"

"N-No, not really," Mira laughed, "I understood the words and what you meant… but, Haruhi, you sound like Yoda!" She guffawed aloud and held her sides as she fell back against the mattress, laughing. Haruhi's cheeks flushed angrily and she puffed out her cheeks slightly at Mira's laughter, pouting like a small child. Mira's laughter began to die down when she felt cramps forming in her sides from laughing so much. She wiped away a tear and sat back up, "Okay, your teacher was right about your grammar. What you should've said is ' **how much is the sushi?** ' not ' **sushi, how much is?** ' It may sound correct in Japanese, but in English, it makes no sense."

"Oh." Haruhi said, "I see…" She picked the text book back up and set it in her lap, "I still have a lot of work to do I guess."

"Well, I could help lighten the load." Mira suggested, Haruhi looked up at her, "Look, why don't I come over to your place sometime and tutor you? Or, you come over to my place, if you prefer."

"You'd do that?" Haruhi asked in surprise.

"Sure, why not?" Mira said with a shrug, "But, in return, you have to help me with something. What is your best subject?"

"At the moment? Law studies." Haruhi replied, Mira scrunched up her nose.

"Um… No." She said, "What about mathematics?"

"I'm pretty good at that." Haruhi said, "You want me to tutor you in algebra or something?" Mira smiled.

"Yeah, I'm starting to flunk trigonometry, and I don't want to get held back." Mira said, she held out her hand, "I teach English, you teach math. Deal?" Haruhi smiled and shook her hand.

"Deal."


	13. Chapter 13 - A Little Revenge

13

"Worst. Trip. Ever." Mira said as she and Haruhi got into the limo with the rest of the host club for home. "I've had family reunions that were better than this crap."

"Actually, it could've been a lot worse." Haruhi said, Mira gave her a dry, dubious look, "No, I'm serious. The last time I went to the beach with them was so much worse."

"If you say so." Mira said, sliding in on the seat next to Mori. She leaned back on the leather seat, linking her fingers behind her head, "I think I'm just going to nap for this trip. Wake me when we get to my house." She shut her eyes and lay there for a moment. The twins looked at each other, then shared malicious smiles as they pulled out some markers to use on Mira's sleeping face. As they leaned closer, Mira held up her hand, "If you two even  _try_  to touch me, you will lose the things that make you men." The twins shrunk back, pocketing the markers and pouting unhappily at the loss of their revenge. "And don't pout. It makes you look like kids." The twins jumped.

"You're peeking!" They exclaimed, pointing at her closed eyes.

"No, I just know you well enough to know what you would do." Mira said, "As much as I hate to admit it."

"Mira-chan!" Honey cried as he jumped into Mira's lap. Mira let out an ' _oof!_ ' when he did and sat up, opening her eyes to see him smiling widely at her, "Did you have fun?" Mira shrugged silently.

"I guess." She said, "I've been on worse trips, so-" She stopped when Honey hugged her around her neck.

"I'm glad." He said, he pulled away and scrambled into the seat on Mori's other side, still smiling at her. Mira sighed, smiling back and leaning back against the seat again, closing her eyes to nap.

* * *

Tamaki yawned and stretched his limbs as he sat in the still moving car. "Kyoya," He whined, "How much longer until we get to my house?"

"Five minutes." Kyoya said, writing something in that black book he always carries. He looked up from it and looked over at where Mira was sitting, seeing the two twins messing with something in her sleeping form. "Didn't you hear the threat she gave you both earlier?"

"Shh!" The twins hissed, putting their fingers to their lips.

"Do you know what Mira-sempai did to our room?" Kaoru asked.

"If we can't mark her face, then there're other things we can mess with." Hikaru finished deviously. Kyoya said nothing as he returned his attention back to his notebook.

"Just make sure it doesn't last until school tomorrow." He said, "We need her to look good if she wants to attract customers." The twins nodded as they kept fiddling with Mira's sleeping form.

* * *

"Mira-sempai…" The twins nudged Mira's sluggish form. She groaned and pushed them away, "Mira-sempai, we're at your house." Mira opened her eyes and looked at the two twins, who pointed to what was indeed her home.

"Okay, I'm gettin' out." Mira said as she pulled herself up and walked out the door. She was half-asleep, so she didn't see the twins' faces as they tried to contain their laughter. Mira grabbed her bag from the trunk and shouldered it before she headed up to the front steps. She looked around in surprise when she saw the limo speeding off, faster than she thought it should have been going. Had they been travelling at that speed for the entire ride? She shrugged it off and walked up to the front doors, opening them.

"I'm home!" She called as she shut the door behind her.

"Hey, welcome back!" Alfonso's voice sounded from the living room. Mira walked in to see him, Kenneth, and Isabella all watching TV. None of them had looked up to see her, "How was the beach?"

"Stupid." Mira said, "I shouldn't have gone." Isabella gasped and turned to look at her sister.

"Mira, how could you say that?" She demanded, "Especially when... they…" She began to snicker to herself at the sight of Mira's appearance, "Invited… you…" She burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Kenneth and Alfonso noticed her odd behavior and looked at Mira, then they began to laugh. Mira scowled.

"What?" She demanded, scrubbing her face with her hand. When it came back clean, she felt around the rest of her head, and came to a terrible discovery. She rushed to the nearest bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair had been done up in multiple, messy, scraggly pigtails with pink ribbon bows. Bobby pins had been put in place to hold different locks of her hair up high, and other parts were sticky and stiff with some kind of hair gel. Mira grit her teeth and clenched her fists against the counter top in the bathroom.

"DAMN THOSE TWINS!"

* * *

"Ow!"

"Ow!"

"Ouch!"

"Hey!"

The twins' voices were heard throughout the hall as they ran from Mira, who wielded her bamboo  _shinai_  at the two, using it to smack them on different parts of their body (heads, torsos, legs, etc.).

"You guys are so dead!" Mira shouted angrily as she chased them down the hall.

"You rigged our room!" The twins said, "It evened the score!"

"Evening the score  _was_  when I rigged your room!" Mira growled, smacking Kaoru on the head, who let out a yelp of pain, "It was for when you tricked Mori into seeing me like  _'that'_!" She hit Hikaru's head, and he let out a yelp like his brother.

"We're sorry!" The twins yelled as they ran out into the school courtyard, where many students had gathered for the break between classes. The trio caught their attention, but they didn't care.

"You're  _gonna_  be!" Mira threatened, she lifted the  _shinai_  up high and brought it down on both of their heads. The hit was hard enough to temporarily stun them, and they fell to the concrete ground. When she saw their bodies sprawled out over the ground, she walked closer to the two, towering over them in an intimidating way. The twins backed away in fear, clutching to each other as they always did, "If you  _ever_  try something like that again, I will make sure you are no longer men, but no longer  _human_! Understand?" The twins nodded quickly, looking up at her in fear. This was enough for Mira and she nodded once in satisfaction, and walked away. She heard a few giggles and whispers, but she paid them no mind as she kept moving.

When she was out of sight, Hikaru and Kaoru shared a glance before saying, "Americans are crazy!"

* * *

"Mirabella-sempai!" One of the kendo students called out while she was in the middle of a fight.

"Huh?" She turned around to see who it was, and her opponent hit her on the head, "Ow!" She turned and glared at Takahiro, "Time-out!" He quickly backed off and left her alone as she turned to see who had called her and saw some of her customers from the host club running up to her. She took off her mask to speak to them properly.

"Mirabella-sempai," One began, "We heard you beat up the Hitachiin brothers, is that true?"

"Well, I didn't beat them to a bloody pulp, but yeah." Mira said, "What of it?"

"That's cool." Another boy said with a blush, "I mean, it's not too often guys like us come across a girl like you." Assuming an appropriate hostess personality, Mira smiled charmingly at them.

"Aww!" She came up to him and patted his cheek, "You guys are so sweet." She didn't notice Takahiro fuming slightly at the attention she was giving the boys, "I only wish my brothers treated me as nicely as you guys did." The boys blushed embarrassedly.

"W-Well, you know…" One of them laughed nervously, looking up at her, "I was brought up to be a gentleman, so…"

"And you're doing a spectacular job." Mira said, smiling at him and making him blush more. Takahiro, becoming impatient, grabbed her forearm and dragged her away from them.

"Come on, let's keep practicing." He said sternly.

"Okay, okay." Mira said, pulling her arm away from him, "No need to get so testy." She and Takahiro put any equipment they had taken off back on and continued to practice, but not for very long, because Honey came prancing up to her, Mori behind him, with a huge smile on his face.

"Mira-chan! Mira-chan!" He called out, running up to her. Mira was about to turn to him, when she blocked Takahiro's hit and deflected it, sending him back a few steps.

She took off her helmet, wiping away some of the sweat on her forehead as she turned to look at her little friend, "Yeah, Honey?"

"Guess what? Guess what?" Honey asked excitedly.

"I don't know." Mira said, "What is it?"

"Takashi's participating in the national kendo tournament!" Honey exclaimed excitedly, "His first match is tomorrow! Will you come Mira-chan?" Honey held up his pink bunny, "Usa-chan would be really happy if you did, you know." Mira smiled at him and ruffled his blonde hair.

"Sure, I'll come." She said, she looked up at Mori, "Make sure to find me in the audience, because I'll be rooting for you." Mori's mouth twitched into a smile and he nodded. None of the group realized they had been overheard by a student hiding in the shadows of the gym, and they ran after they had heard the news.

* * *

"Oh, so you want to be a chef?" Mira asked one of her customers as she poured some tea for them.

"Yeah, my dad says it's a stupid dream." The boy replied, scratching the back of his head nervously, "I'm supposed to take over the company someday, but I'm just not all that into making cars…"

"Well, then, don't take over." Mira said, the boy looked up at her with wide eyes.

"I can't do that!" He said, "It's my father's company! I'm his only son, and no one else can take over but me!"

"Well, you don't want to be in charge of making cars, do you?" Mira asked, the boy shook his head, "So just tell your dad you're going to be a chef, and there's nothing he can say that will change your mind."

"If I said that, he might disown me…" The boy muttered.

"He's your  _father_." Mira countered, "There's nothing he can do to change that, even if he's upset with your choice. Let me tell you something," She sat down next to the boy, "Unconditional love is a given for any parent. It's nothing they can change, so no matter who you are, or what you do, if you're still their child, they'll still love you. And if they don't, then they are seriously screwed up." The boy nodded.

"I guess you're right…" He said. Mira began to pour more tea, when she realized the pot was empty.

"Oh, 'scuse me for a second." She said as she got up to go get more tea. She walked past the twins' table and overheard some of what they were saying to their customers.

"It was awful." Hikaru said, "She came at us like a wild animal."

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed, faking a few tears, "If Hikaru hadn't jumped in to take that last blow for me, I might not still be here."

"Well, I couldn't let her do that." Hikaru said, putting his fingers under his brother's chin and bringing him closer to his face, "You're just too adorable to lose to that crazy woman, Kaoru."

"Hikaru…!" Kaoru said, blushing. Their act made their customers squeal girlishly at the sight. None of them noticed Mira sneaking up behind them and grabbing one of their ears with each hand. The act was broken as the twins yelped out in pain.

"Crazy woman, huh?" She said, glaring at the two, "As I recall, you idiots were the ones who messed with my hair when I specifically told you not to touch me." She pulled harder on their ears, making them whine in pain. "You dressed up my hair in ribbons, stuck bobby pins in where they shouldn't have gone, and you put in a hair gel that took me hours just to wash out!" She tugged harder and the twins cringed.

"Ow, ow, ow!" They whined, "You're gonna tear our ears off!"

"Try messing with me again, and I'll be more than just crazy!" She threatened, "And if you talk bad about me behind my back again, I'll become the devil incarnate and give you both a hell you never thought was possible! Got it?" The two redheads whined out a 'yes' and she let them go. She walked back to where the tea was being made and got some more into the pot before she turned back to her customers. The entire time, she was unaware of a student's eyes following her the entire time, glaring at her.

* * *

"Bye, guys! I'm going out!" Mira called as she was about to head out the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Alfonso asked, making her stop.

"I'm going to Haruhi's place." She said, "We have this agreement where I'll tutor her in English, and she'll tutor me in trigonometry."

"That so?" Alfonso questioned, "Which friend is this?"

"She was the only girl that came in that group of boys." Mira said, "I'm going to her house to study. Bye."

"Oh, so she  _is_  your friend." Alfonso said slyly.

"Closest thing I got." Mira said, "Bye."

"And you don't deny this in  _any_  way." Alfonso continued.

"Yes." Mira said, becoming annoyed, "Good. Bye."

"So you admit it!" Alfonso said.

"Admit  _what_?" Mira asked, getting increasingly frustrated with her older brother.

"That you actually have a friend in that freaky club of yours." Alfonso said.

"Yes, I admit it, now can I go?" Mira said, gesturing to the door. Alfonso smirked victoriously.

"So I was right." Mira rolled her eyes.

" _Yes_ , you were right." She said, "Can I  _go_  now?"

"Yeah, you can go." Alfonso said. Mira rolled her eyes and walked out the door.

* * *

Mira walked up to the apartment labeled 213 and knocked on the door. Haruhi answered it and smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hey." Mira said, "Ready to teach me some math?" Haruhi nodded and let her in. Mira noticed she needed to take off her shoes and did so.

"Are you ready to teach me English?" Mira held up a Japanese-to-English dictionary.

"Yep." She said, she walked over to the table in the nearest room and sat down. Haruhi followed and sat next to her. Mira looked around when they noticed they were alone, "Hey, do you live alone, Haruhi?"

"No, I live with my dad." Haruhi said, "He should be home in a little bit. I already told him you were coming."

"Oh, okay." Mira said, "So, where should we start?"

* * *

"Okay." Mira sighed, pulling her hand down her face, "Let's try this  _again_." Haruhi grimaced at how badly she was doing, "'I am going to the party'."

" **Party, I am going to**." Haruhi said, Mira groaned.

"No, I told you!" Mira said, "You have to refer to yourself first, and  _then_  you say what you're doing!" She slumped back. "Try again. 'I am going to the party'."

" **…I am going to party.** " Haruhi said.

"Okay, that was better." Mira said, "But you're using the word party as a verb, not a noun. You have to use it as a noun."

"So, I say ' **the** ' before I say ' **party** ' right?" Haruhi asked. Mira nodded.

"Yes, now, try again." Mira said. "'I am going to the party'."

" **I am going to the party.** " Haruhi said, Mira smiled.

" _Yes_! You got it!" Mira said happily, "We're  _finally_  making progress!" Haruhi smiled, "Okay, now I'm tired."

"Me, too." Haruhi said, "Why don't we take a break?" Mira nodded, since they had been studying nonstop for the past two hours. Haruhi got up and headed for the kitchen, "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Just some tap water is fine." Mira said, she leaned back on her arms and looked around the apartment, noticing how small it was compared to apartments in New York. Haruhi came back, holding a glass of water in one hand, and some tea in the other. She handed Mira the glass, and she gratefully took a sip from it. "You know," She began, looking around the apartment, "I'm starting to see a lot of differences in our cultures. Well, architecturally speaking, anyway."

"How so?" Haruhi asked, "Wait, don't tell me." Mira looked over at her, seeing a dry smirk on her face, "The apartments are bigger." Mira grinned.

"Yup!" The two girls chuckled, Mira had heard about how the host club had visited Haruhi's home before, and how they flipped out at the small size. Mira took another sip of her water just as Haruhi's door opened.

"Haruhi~! I'm home~!" A voice sang.

Mira spat whatever liquid was in her mouth, and she choked on the liquid in her throat.

Haruhi patted Mira's back to try and help her coughing, though she wasn't entirely sure why she had choked on her drink. The thing is, Mira had lived in New York a good number of years, but she had never really been around the 'freaks of the streets' as some of her friends called them. So, seeing a fully grown, middle-aged man with long, died red hair, wearing makeup, a pink blouse, red skirt, and high heels, was a bit of a surprise.

"Oh, who's this?" He crooned, looking at Mira.

"Dad, I told you, this is Mira-sempai." Haruhi said. Mira almost choked on her own spit. "She's helping me learn English for school."

"Did you just say ' _dad_ '?" She asked, her eyes wide, "This is your  _father_?" Haruhi nodded.

"Yeah, so?" Mira shook her head.

"I can see why you think genders don't matter in a person…" She muttered to herself.

"Oh, so this is Mira-sempai!" Haruhi's father said happily, holding out his (freshly manicured) hand, "I'm Haruhi's father, Ranka, nice to meet you." Mira shook his hand.

"Hi." She said. She jumped a little when he suddenly took her face in his hands.

"My, my,  _my_! Don't you have a pretty face?" He said, turning her head from side to side. He fingered her neon streak, "And I  _love_  what you've done with your hair!"

"Um… Thank you." Mira said, Ranka turned to his daughter.

"Haruhi, you should have  _told_  me your friend was so cute!" He said in a mock-scolding tone, "Then I would have known to be prepared for her!" He pouted at her and Haruhi rolled her eyes. Ranka turned back to Mira with a smile on his face. " _Ooh_ , you know what?"

"What?"  _I'm almost afraid to ask._  Mira thought.

"I have some eye shadow that would really bring out those little emeralds of yours!" Ranka said in a cheery voice, he sprung up happily, "Wait here and I'll go get my makeup bag!"

"Dad, we're studying!" Haruhi admonished, "This is no time for one of your makeovers!" Her dad pouted.

"But Haruhi…" He whined.

"No, Dad!" Haruhi insisted, Mira jumped when her cellphone suddenly began to ring. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was her father.

_Saved by the ringtone._  She thought as she answered it.

"Yeah, Dad?" She answered.

"Mirabella, where are you?" He asked.

"I'm at a friend's house." Mira answered, "I told you I was leaving to study at a friend's house."

"Sweetheart, it's almost time for bed, come home." Mira rolled her eyes.

"Dad, I'm too old for bedtime!"

"I want you home before curfew, understand?" Mira sighed.

"Yes."

"Okay, now I want you in your car five minutes ago, and here ten minutes ago."

"Okay, okay." She stood up, "I'll be home soon, I love you."

"Love you, too." Mira hung up the phone.

"I have to go." She said.

"Already?" Haruhi asked, "But we didn't even get to your trigonometry."

"I know." Mira sighed, stuffing the phone in her pocket, "But my dad wants me home and it's almost past my curfew. I gotta get going."

"Well, okay." Haruhi said, "Maybe we can go over it tomorrow." Mira nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." She said, she smiled at Ranka, "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Fujioka." She walked over to the door and put her shoes on, "I'll see you tomorrow, Haruhi."

"Bye." Haruhi said, waving goodbye as she walked out the door.

"See you next time!" Ranka bid cheerily as he waved goodbye. Mira nodded and headed out the door.


	14. Chapter 14 - A Kendo Match

14

Mira looked down at the piece of paper she had scribbled directions on, then back up at the street sign. She used the turn signal and went around the corner, smiling in relief when she saw the stadium where Mori's kendo match was taking place. She travelled on the street until she got to the parking places. She wasn't at all surprised to see they were totally packed. She sighed to herself, about to go in, when a parking attendant came in front of her car. She rolled down the window as he came up to her side of the car, holding a clipboard in his hands.

"Parking fee is 5,000 yen." He said, Mira rolled her eyes.

"Hang on," She reached for her wallet and pulled out the necessary bills, "There." The man accepted it and handed her a ticket to verify that she was supposed to be in that parking lot. She slowly drove around, finally finding a space in the far back that her car just barely fit into. She stepped out, careful not to let her car door smack the car next to hers, and locked it before heading out and towards the stadium.

The stadium itself wasn't anything special. It was the same as any other stadium she had been to, only these seats were packed, almost everyone had to be taken. She sighed, knowing from the beginning she would have gotten the nosebleed seats.

"Mira-chan!" A cheerful voice called out, Mira turned and smiled at the blonde third year as he jumped up, almost tackling her with his hug around her waist, "You came!"

"I said I would, didn't I?" Mira responded, she looked down at the arena, "So, which fight is Mori in?"

"His fight isn't until later." Honey said, "Where are you sitting? I wanna be able to point you out to Takashi!"

"Well, he probably won't see me." Mira said, "These seats are totally packed, I'll probably have to sit up at the top row." Honey pouted.

"Don't do that!" He whined, "You said you'd cheer for Takashi, he won't be able to hear you so high up!" Mira shrugged helplessly.

"What am I supposed to do?" She asked, "All the other seats are taken." Honey seemed to think about this, then smiled brightly.

"You can come sit with me!" He said, "I got a VIP seat right next to the arena! You can cheer for him there!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her down the stairs all the way down to the arena and pointed to a bench that was practically in the arena. He sat her down on it and hopped up next to her, "See?"

"Yes I do." Mira said with a chuckle, she got up, "Listen, I haven't had dinner yet so I'm gonna go grab something from the concession stands."

"Okay, Usa-chan will hold your seat for you!" Honey said, putting his stuffed pink bunny in the spot she had sat in moments before. She smiled.

"Okay." She walked back up the stairs to get to the concessions, sighing unhappily when she saw a long line. She went to the back and waited patiently as the line slowly moved along. When she got to the front, she ordered some popcorn and some chocolate candies to split with Honey if he wanted any. When she was walking out of the line, sticking the chocolate candies in her pocket, she accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry!" She said quickly, looking up at the person she had bumped into and was incredibly surprised as to who it was.

"The hell?" Akira Yukio cursed when he saw her, "What are you doing here, bitch?" Mira glared at him.

"I'm here to watch the matches," She said, "If that wasn't obvious enough for you." Akira glared at her.

"Insult me all you want, you Yankee bitch." He growled, "But those freaks can't protect you forever." Mira scowled.

"Who said I needed protection from you?" She asked, Akira let out a growl and knocked the popcorn out of her hands, letting it scatter onto the floor.

"Go to hell." He growled out, stalking away from her, Mira flipped him off behind his back as she picked up what was left of her popcorn.

She sighed to herself and walked back down the stairs. She waved at Honey when he was in sight and he moved his bunny from his seat, waving back. She moved down quickly because the next match was about to start. She offered him some of the chocolate candies, and was not at all surprised when he took the whole box.

"You know, you keep eating that much sugar, you're gonna get a cavity." Mira said, Honey shook his head.

"No, I make sure to brush my teeth every night and every morning!" He said cheerily, "I'm fine!"

"Do you floss?" Mira asked, Honey looked at her for a second before shaking his head no, "I didn't think so. You should start doing that, or you'll get a cavity." Honey nodded.

"I'll remember." He said, before inhaling another chocolate candy. Mira smiled and shook her head, knowing he probably wouldn't.

* * *

Mira looked up when she saw Takahiro getting ready for the next fight. "What's he doing here?" Honey looked up at her, then followed her eyes to where she saw Takahiro.

"Taka-chan is participating, too." Honey said, "Didn't you know that?" Mira shook her head.

"I'll be right back." She said, leaving Honey on the bench alone again. She walked up to where Takahiro was getting ready and gently tapped his shoulders, going "Boo!" to startle him. He jumped up and turned around to see it was his friend.

"Oh, Marino-sempai." He said in relief, "You scared me."

"Kind of the point of sneaking up on you." Mira said, "And what the hell? Why didn't you tell me you were participating in the tournament?" She lightly smacked his shoulder with a grin.

Takahiro shrugged, "Well, you never really asked, so…"

"You still should have told me!" Mira said, mock-pouting at him, "You jerk."

"I didn't think you'd care!" Takahiro said, "I mean, I always figured you wouldn't come."

"Stupid! If one of my friends is involved, then I go!" Mira said lightly, "So, when are you fighting?"

"Um, in two minutes, actually." Takahiro said, grabbing his helmet from behind him, "I'm going up against someone from Isami High School."

"Oh, seriously?" Mira said in surprise, looking to where his opponent was getting ready, "Oh, well," She turned back to him with a smile, "Best of luck!" She gave him a quick hug, and Takahiro stiffened, blushing. She pulled back, "I'll be cheering for you!" She as she went back to her seat with Honey. Takahiro tried to focus on getting ready as he tried to forget that sudden warm embrace he had shared with his sempai.

When the time came for his match, Mira and Honey cheered for him as he approached his opponent, a slightly taller boy from a rival school. The fight itself wasn't much, Takahiro was mainly on the offensive because his opponent wasn't much of an attacker. The problem was that, whenever he did attack, it was always a point for his school. He was apparently much more tactical than Takahiro was, but he didn't take enough chances to attack, leaving Takahiro the winner. He smiled happily when they announced his victory and waved to Mira and Honey, who cheered wildly with the rest of the crowd. They both went to him when he came back to the rest of the team, who gave him congratulations as he passed by.

Honey surprised him with a hug, "You did great, Taka-chan!" Honey said happily. Takahiro smiled awkwardly, not used to having the short third-year climbing up to his shoulders like a monkey. Mira gave him a rather hard pat on the back.

"You really did great, Takahiro." She said with a smile, Takahiro blushed, "Now, if only you could use those skills to beat  _me_  in practice."

"Hey!" Takahiro snapped, taking offense, Mira laughed at his reaction. Takahiro, understanding that it was only a joke, laughed right along with her.

* * *

Mira and Honey decided to stay with the team as Mori prepared for the next match to give him moral support. They made light conversation with him (They talked and he just listened) as he put on some of his gear. When he got ahold of his shinai, he was ready to go out, and Mira approached him. He looked at her silently, and she smiled back.

"Kick his ass." She said, showing her enclosed fist to him, Mori smiled and gently patted the top of her head.

The next moments that came were all a blur to her. She suddenly felt herself being pushed down onto the floor, and felt something heavy land on top of her. Some things cracked onto the floor, but she wasn't sure what. She heard various shouts and cries, "Somebody, get the nurse!" "Who was that?" "Go find out!" She opened her eyes and saw Mori laying over her, she looked over him and saw that somebody had dropped a load of large, heavy stones from above.

"Mori!" She exclaimed, pushing him up and off of her. She leaned him against the wall and looked him over, seeing that (thankfully) only his leg had been hit. He also had a bump on his head, but it didn't look to be from any rocks, though. She gently patted his face and he opened his dark eyes to look into hers, she kept her hand on his cheek as she asked him, "Are you okay?"

He lifted his hand up to wrap around her palm and moved it away, but still held onto it. "Mm." He nodded once in confirmation. A nurse quickly came over and inspected his leg. After a few minutes, he held an ice pack to his leg and he turned to the manager of the kendo team.

"He'll be fine." He said, "He'll walk with a limp for a little while, but he should be fine by next week. But one thing is for certain, though, he can't fight today."

"No!" One of the other team members said, "Mori is our best fighter! He was supposed to win and take us to nationals!"

"Who the hell are we gonna get to stand in for him?" Another student asked.

"Mirabella." Mori said, Mira turned to him in surprise. That was the first time he had  _ever_  said her name! He pointed to her, "She can fill in for me." Mira looked at him with wide eyes.

"Whoa, what?" She demanded.

"You've beaten me before." Mori said with a smirk.

"Yeah, but that was just dumb luck!" Mira said, "I-I couldn't do it again, we know that for a fact! I can't fill in for you!"

"We don't have a lot of options here, Marino-sempai." The manager said, "Come on, we need to get you fitted with equipment." He grabbed his arm and pulled her up and dragged her away.

"Ah! B-But…!" Mira tried to protest, but she couldn't seem to escape the manager's grip.

* * *

Mira gulped nervously as she approached her opponent. He was a pretty big guy, a little bit taller than Mori, and he looked to have a bit more muscle, too. Her hands began to tremble around the  _shinai_ , he was going to kick her ass! She looked over and saw Honey waving to her enthusiastically.

"Good luck Mira-chan!" He called, Mira took a deep breath and took her stance. The referee raised his hand high, signaling that they were about to start, then brought it down. Her opponent raised his sword high and Mira blocked the swing before it hit, she saw his side was open and swung at it. The referee announced she had won a point. She looked up at her opponent in disbelief, did that seriously just happen? He looked at her with the same kind of disbelief then swung at her again, she blocked it and his second blow, then landed a hit on his leg. The referee announced she had another point. Her opponent swung at her quickly at her side and landed a hit, now he had a point.

The fight continued on with Mira blocking some of hits, but still getting hit occasionally, and her opponent did the same, but he got hit just a tad bit more. Eventually, it came to the point where Mira had gotten the maximum amount of points she could in the tournament and the referee announced she had won. She looked at the scoreboard in disbelief when she saw she had beaten him by two points. She looked over at her opponent and he looked back. Mira removed her helmet and smiled up at him, holding out her hand.

"Good game." She said, her opponent took off his helmet as well, and Mira blushed at the sight of his face. He had light brown hair that went down to his chin, and a pair of green eyes. He was one of the handsomest boys she had ever seen. She thought her heart might stop when he shot her a winning smile as he reached for her hand.

"You, too." He said, his voice so deep in lyrical in such a way that Mira almost swooned. "Never thought I'd see the day when I was beaten by a girl." He smirked, "And a beautiful one at that."

"Uh huh…" Was all Mira was able to muster. He released her hand and walked back to his other teammates.

"Maybe we'll meet again." He said, waving over his shoulder. Mira couldn't reply, she stood, frozen to the spot. The kendo team of Ouran came rushing out to her and grouped around her, shocking her back to her surroundings. They let out all kinds of cheers of congratulations, with hardy pats on the back. She let out a yelp when she felt herself being lifted up and looked to see Takahiro had put her on his shoulders. The kendo team cheered her name in joy of their victory. Mira smiled brightly, never having received so much attention before. This moment, of course, ended when Takahiro lost his balance, and tripped, making her fall over into someone else's arms. She looked up to see it was Mori, and smiled.

"Thanks." She said, she let out a grunt when suddenly felt something jump onto her waist in a hug.

"Mira-chan, you did it!" Honey cheered, "You won! You won!" He looked up at her happily, "We should celebrate with cake!" Mira laughed a little.

* * *

" _We won~_!  _We won~_!  _We won~_!" Honey sang as he and Mori came with Mira to go out and celebrate. They had decided to take her car to wherever they were going because they could just have a car pick them up when they were ready to go back home. Mori leaned on Mira for support as they went through the parking lot, Honey skipping and jumping joyously ahead of them. Mira laughed a little at his antics.

"Don't get too excited, Honey." She said, "There's no guarantee that wherever we're going has cake."

"We could keep looking!" Honey said optimistically as he looked up at her with his big, happy brown eyes.

"Yes, I suppose we could." Mira said with another laugh, she looked up to see where she had parked, "Now, where did I…  **Oh my God!** "

She had found her car, but something terrible had happened to it. The windshield and back windows had been smashed in, all the other windows cracked open. She could see that her sound system had been stolen, and her tires had been slashed. Different words of the same meaning had been keyed and spray painted onto the outer and inner sides of her car.

_Whore_

_Slut_

_Bitch_

"My car!" Mira exclaimed, running over to it, leaving Mori to support himself as she went to survey the damage. Honey and Mori shared concerned glances as she looked over it. She raked her fingers through her hair as she gaped at it, "Oh, God… This is going to cost me a fortune!" She inspected the tires, "Not to mention what my dad will do when he finds out!" She stood up to look at the inside of her car and found a white envelope sitting in the driver's seat. Curiosity picked at her and she picked it up, finding it completely blank other than her name written on the front. She opened it and pulled out a letter that had an odd message inside it.

_If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your distance. He is_ _mine_ _, don't even try to fool yourself into thinking he's not. So don't try your slutty American ways to steal him, because he won't come to you._

_Go to hell you Yankee whore._

"Keep my distance from what?" Mira asked herself, looking at the letter. Mori and Honey came over to her and inspected the letter, quickly skimming it.

"Why would someone do this?" Honey asked, looking back at her blue Toyota.

"Because they think I'm stealing their man." Mira said, "I don't know who did this, but I'm gonna find out." She vowed, glaring at the letter, "Even if I have to use the dirtiest, most low-life means possible!"

* * *

"Hey, Kyoya!" Mira called, running over to her glasses wearing 'employer'. She held up the letter to him, "How good are you at forensic investigations?" Kyoya adjusted his glasses before he spoke.

"Depends on what you want to know," He said, "And how much you're willing to pay." He grinned at her and Mira frowned, hating that damn demonic grin.

She held up the letter closer to him, "I want fingerprints off this thing and I want you to tell me whose they are." Kyoya reached out and picked up the letter by its corner, holding it. He skimmed over the contents of it and his eyes widened.

"Where did you find this?" He asked, looking at her.

"In the driver's seat of what used to be my car." Mira replied.

"'Used to be'?" Kyoya repeated.

"Someone vandalized it." Mira said, "Wrote stuff all over it and slashed my tires, they also smashed in my windows and jacked my sound system." Kyoya's eyes widened even more as he carefully folded the letter up and put it in his inner jacket pocket.

"Sounds serious." He said, "Did you contact the police?"

"Not yet." Mira said, when Kyoya gave her a questioning gaze, she explained herself, "I want you to do the investigating first, because you have the amazing and somewhat terrifying ability of 'connections'." Kyoya smirked.

"Glad to know you trust me so much, sempai." He said.

"I don't trust you." Mira said, "I just think you're better at this than anyone I know."

"Yes, now about the fee…" Kyoya said, Mira groaned and reached into her pocket, pulling out all the money she could.

"I got 60,000 yen." She said, Kyoya nodded taking the money.

"Okay, I'll go over any prints that aren't yours and compare them to the national criminal database." He said, "But I won't be able to go over the school's."

"Why not?" Mira asked.

"Because I'll need another 20,000 yen for that information." Kyoya replied with a sly smirk, Mira glared at him.

"You suck, you know that?" Kyoya said nothing in return.

* * *

Mira walked with Hikaru and Kaoru at each of her sides. "Guys, I  _told_  you," She said in an annoyed tone, "Just because someone vandalized my car doesn't mean someone's going to jump out at me  _today_."

"Well, you never know!" Kaoru said.

"Yeah, we're just looking out for you!" Hikaru said, Mira rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but I hope you guys aren't planning to follow me home." She said, sending them a pointed glare as she went to her locker to put her books away.

"No, that's Tamaki-sempai's job." They said. Mira groaned and opened her locker and jumped back when a pile of notes spilled out, each one containing a razor blade. The twins stood in front of her protectively when they saw this, glaring at the letters that all said the same thing.

_Die whore!_

_Stealing bitch!_

_Rot in hell!_

"Jesus  _Christ_!" Mira breathed, looking at them.

"Still don't think they're going to strike today?" The twins asked, Mira shook her head when she stared at the letters. A sudden sense of paranoia and fear filled her when she felt the reality of it all hit her.

_Somebody's seriously out to get me._


	15. Chapter 15 - Strange Developments...

15

Mira walked into the host club room, "Sorry I'm late, Kyoya," She said, "There were these-"

"There she is!" A girlish voice squealed, Mira jumped as she saw a huge onslaught of girls come running straight towards her. She flinched and held up her arms to defend herself against any hits, but they never threw any. When she looked to see who it was, she saw a few girls from class and some who had observed kendo practice. They all held notepads and pens with eager smiles on their faces. One of them pushed her notebook out in front of her face, "Can we have your autograph, Mirabella-sempai?"

"…Eh?" Mira asked dumbly.

"Well, you see…" She tried to explain, but another girl stepped in.

"We're your fanclub!" She said, Mira looked at her in surprise.

"Fanclub?" She repeated, the girls nodded their heads vigorously, "I didn't know I had a fanclub…"

"Oh, we've only recently formed." One girl said, "So it's only natural you haven't heard of us." She held out her notepad, "Can you sign for me first?" Mira took the notepad and pen and signed her name, "And can you make it out to Michiko? Your bestest friend ever?"

"Um, I guess…" Mira said, writing out what she asked, "So, why me?" She handed the notepad back to her.

"Why you for what?" The first girl asked, handing her notepad and pen to Mira, "And can you make that out to Mayumi?" Mira nodded.

"Why make a fanclub for me?" Mira asked, "I mean, I'm not really all that special…"

"Ohhh! She's so modest!" One girl cooed.

"That's easy, Mirabella-sempai!" Another girl said, "It's because you're so strong, and tough, and totally awesome!" Mira handed the notepad back to Mayumi and was handed another, "You're just this kind of person that can tell it like it is, and you're strong enough to stand up for it! We really admire that about you!"

"Oh, cool." Mira said with a small smile, signing her name on the notepad, "I thought people would hate me for that."

"Oh, no, it's a very admirable trait." One girl said, holding out her notepad, "I started this club, you know. My name is Ayame." She grabbed Mira's hand with both of hers and looked up at her with big, fangirly eyes, " _I'm your biggest fan_!" Mira looked at her oddly before laughing nervously.

"You don't say…" She said. Mira could have thanked God for what happened next.

Kyoya slid up in front of Mira, standing between her and the girls, "I'm sorry, Ladies," He said in his most charming host voice, "But if you want Mira-sempai to sign more autographs, it will cost 5,000 yen." He grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the girls, saying over his shoulder, "And customized autographs will cost you 10,000. You can make your requests later on tomorrow."

"Okay!" The girls said, moving on to their respective hosts. Mira watched them disperse as she was dragged somewhere. She let out a yelp of surprise when she was unceremoniously tossed into the changing room, Kyoya following her inside. He held out a hanger covered in plastic, hiding whatever was hanging on it.

"Here you are." He said, "The theme today is different historic wars." Mira took the costume from him, "Get changed quickly so the twins can see to your hair."

"I'm not letting those two near me!" Mira snapped at him, "Did you not see what happened last time they messed with my hair?"

"I have made them swear not to do that again." Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up his nose, "So you have nothing to worry about. Now get changed." He walked out of the changing room, closing the curtain behind him. Mira sighed and opened the zipper to the plastic cover. She gaped at the sight of it.

"Oh, no  _fucking_  way…"

* * *

"Lookie, lookie girls!" Honey said, running up to his customers in a traditional Japanese armor costume, complete with a little plastic sword, "Do I look like a soldier?" The girls nodded.

"Oh, yes, Honey-sempai!" One girl cooed, "You and Mori look great as Japanese warriors!" A few other girls were fawning over Mori's costume, which looked the same as Honey's, but he carried a spear instead of a sword.

"Ya!  _En guarde_!" Tamaki cried, waving around his sword, "The revolution shall not fail!"

"Oh, wow, Tamaki-san," Isabella swooned, "You look so dashing as a French Revolutionary soldier…"

Tamaki grinned, striking a heroic pose, "I'm glad you think so, Isabella-chan!" He leaned down, taking her face in his hands, "Once the revolution has ended, I will show you the true 'freedom' of love." She blushed deeply as she swooned even more.

"Oh,  _Tamaki_ ~" She cooed. The girls around her squealed at the show.

"What do you think ladies?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked, showing off their costumes, Hikaru was dressed in the traditional clothing of the British soldiers during the American Revolution, and Kaoru was dressed as an American soldier.

"You guys look great!" One girl said, "Although, I'm a little disappointed you aren't wearing matching outfits…"

"Well, we couldn't decide on which to be!" The twins said.

"Besides," Hikaru said, putting his arm around his brother's shoulders and moving his face towards his, "I couldn't resist the chance to dominate you in that little American outfit."

"But… Hikaru, the Americans won…" Kaoru said, blushing.

"Who's to say that  _all_  the Americans weren't dominated by the British?" Hikaru asked, Kaoru looked away.

"Hikaru…" He mumbled, their customers squealed in delight at their 'brotherly love'.

"You know," A voice said, breaking the twins' act, "It's a little disappointing that one of the two of you ended up playing the part of the American soldiers. It's actually really insulting." The two twins looked over at her with devilish smiles.

"You're just upset  _you_  didn't get to be a soldier." They said, looking at Mira's nurse costume. An angry vein appeared on Mira's head as she blushed furiously.

"It's not my fault there were no female soldiers in any of these wars!" She snapped.

"Now, now, Mira-sempai." Kyoya's voice chided as he came over to them in an old Russian uniform from World War two, "Don't take your anger out on the twins. I picked out the nurse costume myself, and I think it looks marvelous on you." Mira glared at him.

"Yeah, because the skirt is so freaking short!" She snapped, pulling at the skirt of the tiny white dress, "You only bought this one because you wanted all  _my_  customers to get a hard-on!" All of the boys at Mira's table blushed deeply as they covered their crotches.

"That has nothing to do with it at all." Kyoya said, walking away.

"Liar!" Mira said after him, glaring at his retreating back. She kept fuming, looking at him until Haruhi came up and tapped her shoulder. "Yeah?" She looked at Haruhi's American World War two uniform.

"Are you coming over tonight?" Haruhi asked, Mira nodded.

"Yeah, I don't have anything planned for tonight." She said, "So I'll be over there at the usual time."

"What's this, what's  _this_?" Renge's voice rang out, catching their attention, "Does Haruhi Fujioka have a  _female_  love interest?" A group of girls had gathered around her, looking at the two with wide, expectant eyes.

" _Again_  with this?" Mira sighed, "We're not love interests. Haruhi just needs help with his English homework, and I'm tutoring him at home."

"So you go over to Haruhi-kun's house?" One girl asked excitedly, making the other girls squeal.

"This goes perfectly with my latest doujinshi!" Renge exclaimed, holding out a doujinshi that had a picture of Haruhi and Mira on the cover. Haruhi took the doujin and thumbed through it, grimacing when she saw a picture of the two of them kissing.

"Yeah, you guys _do_  know that's all fictional, right?" Mira asked, pointing at the doujinshi, "That will never ever happen."

"Yeah, never." Haruhi agreed, giving the doujinshi back to Renge, who shrugged.

"If you say so." She said, "But I'm still going to make them!" Mira and Haruhi rolled their eyes.

"We know." They said at the same time, turning and walking away.

* * *

Mira sighed as she walked out of the clubroom, Isabella walking next to her. "Oh, it wasn't that bad, was it Mira?"

"Easy for you to say." Mira snapped, "You didn't have ten boys trying to peek up your skirt." Isabella rolled her eyes and looked down at her book bag.

"Oops." She said, Mira looked over at her.

"What?" She asked.

"I forgot my grammar book." Isabella said, "Wait here for me, okay?" She dashed off without a word from her sister saying she would wait. Mira sighed and leaned against the pillar of the hallway, knowing it might be a minute or two before she returned.

"Mira-chan!" Honey called out to her, Mori right behind him as he came prancing up to her. She smiled as she got off from where she leaned and met them half way, catching Honey when he jumped up to hug her waist. "Guess what? Guess what?"

"What?" Mira asked, prying the blonde's arms off of her.

"The kendo team is really happy about making nationals!" Honey said, "So they're holding a big party to celebrate!"

"Is that so?" Mira asked, "Do you want me to come?"

"Uh-huh." Honey said, "You're the reason we're going to nationals anyway, so everyone wants to celebrate with you!" Mira smiled.

"Well, Honey," She began, "While I appreciate the offer," Honey's smile fell, "Parties aren't really my scene. Sorry." Honey pouted.

"But, Mira-chan!" Honey whined, "It's gonna be a big party! With cake and snacks." He shot her the same puppy dog look he had when he had asked her to come with him to the beach not too long ago. Mira faltered at the sight of it.

"Well, it's just…" She tried to reason, "I'm really busy this weekend, so…"

" _Please_  Mira-chan?" Honey begged, "Please, please, please,  _pleeeeeeease_?" Neither of the two noticed Mori suddenly looking up above them, narrowing his eyes at an open window.

"Honey, I can't." Mira said, "I missed a really important thing last weekend, and I need to make this one or- ah!" She yelped as Mori suddenly pushed her back and pulled Honey away. Mira landed on the ground and was about to ask Mori why he did that when she heard a loud crash. She looked in front of her and saw that someone had pushed a very large potted plant out the window to try and crush her. She looked up at the building, seeing an open window where the curtains were flapping outside on the fifth floor. She shakily stood up, staring at the plant, then looking back at Mori, who had Honey tucked under his arm. Murmurs surrounded them from the students nearby who had seen the spectacle.

"T-Thanks…" Mira muttered, looking down at the uprooted plant remains. She unconsciously leaned closer to Mori, looking for protection, and gripped onto his sleeve. Mori noticed her hand was shaking from her tight grip, so he brought his arm around her and led her back under the pillar where she had been before. Isabella ran up to them right away.

"Mira, are you okay?" She asked worriedly, "You're not hurt are you?"

"No, I'm fine." Mira assured, pushing herself away from Mori's arm. She put her hand on her sister's shoulder, "Did you get your book?" Isabella looked down into her arms, forgetting she had it.

"Uh, yeah." She said, looking back at her sister, Mira nodded once.

"Okay, let's go home then." She said, walking away from Mori and Honey who looked after them. Honey looked up at his cousin in worry.

"Do you think Mira-chan's going to be okay, Takashi?" He asked in a scared, childish voice. Mori didn't know how to answer his question. He knew Mira was a tough cookie, but the fear she showed just now would say otherwise. He didn't say anything to his cousin and just walked away from the scene, still holding him tucked under his arm.

* * *

When they were far enough away from everyone, Isabella looked at her older sister to see she was slightly pale, and the hand on her shoulder was shaking slightly, but she showed no emotion on her face. "Mira?" She said quietly, holding out her open palm, "Do you want to hold my hand?" Mira looked at her sister, remembering how, when they were little and Isabella got scared, she would always ask to hold someone's hand. Be it her mother's, her father's, Kenneth's, Alfonso's, one of her friend's, or Mira. She smiled softly at her little sister and took the hand from Isabella's shoulder and wrapped her fingers around her palm.

"Yeah." Mira said quietly. Isabella smiled back and gave Mira's hand a comforting squeeze, giving her a message only a sister could understand.

_I'm here for you. No matter what happens, I'm here for you._

* * *

"Okay, so it's the hypotenuse over the opposite?" Mira asked, looking at Haruhi for confirmation. Haruhi shook her head.

"No, it's the opposite over the hypotenuse." She corrected, Mira rubbed out what she had written down and rewrote the problem. Haruhi looked over her answer and nodded when she had the correct answer. Mira let out an exhausted sigh.

"Finally." She said, shutting the book, "Now we can move on to your English homework." Haruhi smiled as she pulled out her textbook. Ranka watched the two girls from the kitchen as he made some tea for himself. He smiled at the sight of the two bonding together as they worked. It was about time his Haruhi had a friend that was a girl.

"Okay, translate this one." Mira said, pointing to a phrase in the book.

" **Please, when is the bus coming, please?** " Haruhi said, looking at Mira, who shook her head.

"No, you don't say ' **please** ' twice." She said, "Just say it once."

"At the beginning or at the end?" Haruhi asked, Mira shrugged.

"It doesn't matter, either one is fine." She said, Haruhi nodded and retranslated the phrase.

" **When is the bus coming, please?** " Haruhi said, looking at her friend for approval. Mira smiled and nodded.

"You're getting a lot better at this, Haruhi." Mira said, "Maybe you won't need me to tutor you anymore."

"That won't stop you from coming over, will it?" Ranka asked from the kitchen with a pout. Mira and Haruhi looked back at him.

"I… guess not." Mira said with a shrug, "I don't know." This answer seemed to be enough for Ranka as he smiled and brought out a tray with steaming cups.

"Tea?" He offered, Haruhi took one cup and Mira took the other. "Careful, it's hot." Mira nodded and blew on the liquid before taking a small sip. Haruhi did the same. All three of them jumped when Mira's cellphone went off in her pocket. She groaned and fished it out, looking at the caller ID. It showed a picture of a boy with spiky black hair in a uniform with a green jacket and tie. She put it to her ear.

"This isn't the best time." She said, she put her finger in her ear as the voice on the other end began to speak, "What…? Wait, hang on." She got up, "Just a second." She said to Ranka and Haruhi as she walked outside the apartment. She shut the door, "Okay, what?"

" _Get down here!_ " The voice on the other end shouted. Mira held the phone away from her ear at the shout. She glared at the device as she put it back to her ear.

"Why should I?" Mira shouted back.

"Because!" The voice on the other end said, "We need to do it!"

"We did it yesterday." Mira said, "Why can't you wait until this weekend?"

"Because you were gone last weekend," The voice reasoned, "We need to make up for lost time!" Mira didn't notice Haruhi poking her head out of the door.

"Lost time?" Mira repeated, "We didn't lose any time! I was on vacation, you dumbass!"

"Well, your vacation cost us 48 hours!" The voice said, "It isn't right to spend that much time on vacation when-"

"Okay, the only  _right_  thing," Mira interrupted, "Is  _my_  foot up  _your_  ass!"

"And speaking of asses," The voice said, "Get your fat one down here so we can do this!"

" _Ooh_ , you did  _not_  just call me fat!" Mira growled into the phone.

"I'll call you a lot more things unless you get down here!" The voice growled back.

"In case you forgot,  _Einstein_ ," Mira said putting the phone right in front of her mouth as she shouted, "I DON'T HAVE A CAR!" She put the phone back at her ear, "You'll have to come and pick me up."

"Hell no!" The voice said, "I'm wasting all my gas on you. Get one of your brothers to drive!"

"My brothers-!" Mira cut herself off before she shouted, "My brothers don't even know you exist, and I'm not even at home right now."

"Well, where are you?" He asked, "Are you close?"

"If I walked, it would take me a half hour to get there." Mira said, the voice groaned.

" _Fine_ , where do I pick you up?" Mira looked over the balcony outside Haruhi's apartment and caught sight of a little coffee shop down the block, and smiled.

"Meet me at…" She strained her eyes to read the name, "Kabuki's Coffee."

"Fine, Kabuki's Coffee it is." The voice said, "And you better  _be_  there when I _get_  there!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Mira dismissed, "Whine to someone who cares, bitch."

"Did you just call me a-?"

" _Bye~_!" Mira sang as she shut the phone. She turned around and jumped a little when she saw Haruhi, "Oh, hey."

"Hey." Haruhi said, "What was all that about?"

"Oh, just my dad," Mira lied smoothly, "He wants me to come home."

"Didn't sound like your dad." Haruhi said as Mira walked past her and began packing up her things.

"Obviously, you're not familiar with American culture between relatives." Mira said, shouldering her bag, "We always hate on each other, but we're family, so we still love each other." Haruhi gave her a doubting look.

"Doesn't sound like family to me." Haruhi said, Mira shrugged.

"Different countries, different cultures." She said dismissively, "Well, see ya tomorrow!" She walked out the door without waiting for Haruhi to say goodbye.

* * *

Mira waited at the coffee shop, a little Frappuccino in her hands as she waited for the person she spoke with on the phone. She took a sip from the drink, not noticing the two identical heads of red hair that came closer to her.

"Mira-sempai?" The twins asked, Mira looked over, and nearly crushed the Frappuccino in her hands at the sight of them.

"Hikaru? Kaoru?" She asked in surprise, "W-What are you doing here?" Kaoru held up a large white box.

"Getting cake." They said.

"Commoner's coffee cake is actually really good." Kaoru said.

"So we go out and get some every now and then." Hikaru finished, "What are you doing here, Mira-sempai?"

"Me? O-Oh, I'm…" She trailed off when she noticed a silver BMW driving down the road towards her. She jumped up so her back was to it, and held up her hand behind her back where the twins wouldn't see to make it stop. The person in the driver's seat groaned in frustration and pulled over on the side of the road. "I was just getting some coffee! This place makes really good Frappuccinos!" She laughed nervously and took another sip of her drink.

"You like coffee, Mira-sempai?" The twins asked, Mira nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, it really gets the blood flowing!" She said, holding up an enclosed fist as she smiled nervously at them. The twins shared a glance with each other before looking back at Mira.

"You're unusually cheery today, sempai." Hikaru said, looking at her suspiciously.

"What are you talking about?" Mira asked with a nervous laugh, "I'm always like this! Heh…" The twins weren't buying it. Normally, Mira was a good liar, but not under the pressure of having her 'secret' so close to being discovered. "Um, say! Why don't you guys get me some of that coffee cake! I kind of want to try it."

"Okay." The twins opened the box they had brought in, "Take a piece." Mira cursed at herself, thinking the twins would be too selfish to share their cake. Mira took a piece and ate a bit of it.

"Not bad…" She muttered, swallowing the piece harder than she should have out of nervousness. A loud car horn blared in their ears, making them jump. Mira whirled around and glared at the pulled over BMW, "Shut up! I'm coming!"

"Well hurry!" The man in the driver's seat yelled back. She flipped him off as she turned back around to the twins.

"Who's that?" The twins asked, looking at the young man.

"That's… um…" She looked back at the man and smiled as an idea struck her, "My… older brother, Kenneth." She turned back to the twins, "You've never met him, have you?"

"Isn't Kenneth the one with the glasses who answered the door that day?" The twins asked, remembering the young man who had gone up to them when they came to pick up Mira to take her to the beach.

"No, that was…" Mira racked her brains for a believable lie, "The son of one my dad's business associates! Yeah, um, he had nothing better to do that day than just hang out at our house, so we let him." The twins looked like they didn't believe her, and were about to say so when the horn blared again. "I'M  _COMING_!" Mira shouted to him before turning back to the twins, "Well, gotta go, bye!" She dashed over across the street to where the car waited and got in the passenger's seat, hissing, "Drive, drive,  _drive!_!" He didn't need to be told twice. He stepped on the gas and the car sped off away from the shop. The two redheads watched the car leave, then look back at each other.

"But, isn't Mira-sempai's house…" Hikaru began.

"In  _that_  direction?" Kaoru finished, pointing at the opposite way they had driven off. They simultaneously put their hands to their chins and hummed thoughtfully.

"Something's not right here…"


	16. Chapter 16 - Suspicious activities

16

Mira let out a long sigh as she went back into her house. It had been a long night. She ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to straighten it out, and she jumped when she saw her sister standing alone, looking at her with a small glare.

"Where the heck were you?" She asked frantically, "It's past curfew!"

"Only by ten minutes!" Mira said, "And besides, I told you I was gonna be at Haruhi's." Mira said, that didn't calm her down.

"I called your cell three times!" Isabella said, "Why didn't you answer?"

"Because it was you, and you called three times." Mira said, walking around her, "You should know by now that I can take care of myself." Isabella followed her.

"Mira, after everything that's happened, I have a right to worry!" She said as she followed her to the kitchen, Mira rolled her eyes as she kept talking, "I mean, for god's sakes, think of what would happen if Dad found out what you were really doing!" Mira paused, looking back at her little sister.

"What I was really doing?" She repeated, hoping she hadn't been found out.

"Yes, you know how much dad hates the idea of one of us alone with a boy." Isabella said, Mira breathed an internal sigh of relief. "And if that wasn't enough, there's somebody there that's out to hurt you, or worse!"

"I hope you don't mean what I think you mean." Alfonso said, jumping out of nowhere and startling the two sisters.

"When the heck did you get here?" Mira asked, looking up at him.

"I've been here." Alfonso said, "And what's this about someone out to get you?" Mira grimaced.

"Um…" She scratched the back of her neck nervously, "Remember the other night, when I came home and said I couldn't drive my car anymore?"

"Yeah." Alfonso said.

"Well… It was kind of… vandalized." Mira said cautiously, waiting for his reaction.

"What kind of 'vandalized'?" Alfonso asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at his sister.

"Well, it was… spray painted, and the tires were slashed, the windows were smashed, and it had been keyed everywhere." Mira said, waiting for her brother to explode on her.

"Uh huh…" Was all he said, "Anything else?"

"There… there was a note." Mira said, Alfonso kept looking at her, "It basically said, ' _stay away from my man, you bitch._ ' And that was it." Alfonso reached his hand up to his temples, massaging them.

"And you didn't say anything about this  _because_ …?" He asked.

"Because I didn't think they were out to kill me?" Mira said in a small voice.  _Now_  he exploded.

"Did you just say  _kill?_!" Alfonso exclaimed, Mira flinched, "Do I  _want_  to know what happened?"

"They tried to smash me with a potted plant from a fourth story window." Mira said in that same small voice. Alfonso stared at her incredulously.

"Okay, you're changing schools." He said, Mira's eyes widened, "I'll get the papers ready, and you're getting out of that school."

"Al, no!" Mira said, grabbing his arm before he went off to tell their father, "I don't want to leave Ouran!"

"You've been complaining about that club of yours for weeks." Alfonso said, "I think you'd be happy to leave."

_I would be_ , Mira thought to herself,  _If I wasn't ear-deep in debt to Kyoya Ootori_. "Please, let me stay." Mira said, "It's not that bad there. The kendo team is going to nationals! I want to at least help them prepare for it." She gave him 'the look', and he faltered. It was her best weapon against him, ever since they were kids. All she would have to do is give him 'the look' and he'd cave instantly, " _Please_."

Alfonso sighed, "Okay, fine." Mira smiled and hugged her big brother, "But the next time this happens I wanna know about it." Mira nodded her head.

"You will, I promise." She said. Alfonso nodded and left the two girls in the kitchen.

"You're never gonna tell him if it happens again, are you?" Isabella asked. Mira shook her head.

"Nuh-uh." She said, Isabella sighed exasperatedly.

"Well, at least you like your friends enough not to leave them." She said with a smile, Mira frowned.

"Don't get the wrong idea." She said, "I may not want to leave the school, but I still hate the guts of everyone in the host club."

* * *

"MIRA-SEMPAI!" Tamaki wailed, encasing Mira in a bone crushing hug, dramatic tears flowing down his face as he nuzzled his face into her hair, Kyoya watched the event with an uncaring face, "Daddy was so worried when he heard about what happened!" He held her tighter, "To think that someone at our school would try to do that to you is terrible!"

"Tamaki, do you remember what happened the last time you hugged me?" Mira asked, Tamaki paused in his dramatic hug and thought, still holding Mira.

"Yeah, didn't you punch me?" He asked.

"I did, and I'm giving you three seconds to let me go before I repeat the action." Mira said threateningly, "One…" Tamaki released her immediately, pouting once she dusted off whatever was left of him on her uniform.

"You never let me hug you, Mira-chan!" He said. Mira glared at him.

"Okay, one: do NOT call me 'chan'." She said, holding up her index finger, "And two," She held up another finger, "I don't trust you when you're holding onto my body." Tamaki cried dramatic tears again, and Mira rolled her eyes. Kyoya ignored him.

"Mira-sempai, you're so cruel! Not letting Daddy hug you!" She walked away.

"Since when were you my daddy?" She asked, heading for her next class.

"Mira-sempai!" Tamaki whined, following her. Mira jumped when she turned a corner and almost ran into the twins.

"Jeez, what's your problem?" She asked, looking at the twins' stern expressions.

"Who was that?" They asked, Mira looked at them in confusion, as did Tamaki.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"That guy you drove away with last night!" Kaoru specified, Mira paled at the mention of him.

"He wasn't your older brother, we checked!" Hikaru said, Tamaki and Kyoya looked at Mira in confusion when they said this.

"Mira-sempai, what are they talking about?" Tamaki asked.

"N-Nothing!" Mira said quickly, "I have to get to class!" She walked around the twins and hurried off. The twins looked after her suspiciously as she ran.

"Who did she drive off with yesterday?" Tamaki asked, looking at the twins.

"We don't know." They said with simultaneous shrugs.

"She  _said_  he was her older brother, Kenneth." Hikaru said.

"But we're pretty sure her 24 year old brother wouldn't be two inches  _shorter_  than her." Kaoru said.

"And he didn't even look American." Hikaru said.

"He was really shady-looking, too." Kaoru said, "Like yakuza shady." His brother nodded in agreement.

"You don't Mira-sempai is involved with the yakuza, do you?" Tamaki asked fearfully.

"Well, she  _is_  friends with Kasanoda," Kyoya reasoned, "And he's the son of a yakuza boss, if I'm not mistaken." Tamaki paled.

* * *

_**In the theater of Tamaki's mind…** _

_Mira was dressed in a movie-stereo typical style of dress for yakuza. She wore a dark kimono halfway, leaving one shoulder out in the open to show her tattoo of a large red dragon. She held up a gleaming knife and glared, talking in an Italian-American accent like the actors in The Godfather, "You wanna run that by me again, buddy?"_

* * *

"GAAAAAH!" Tamaki wailed, "No! Daddy won't let his daughter be like that! We  _have_  to do something!"

* * *

Mira sighed as she walked through the flower garden again. It seemed like it had been a while since she had some free time, seeing as Tamaki suddenly insisted that they all eat together for lunch. It had been a long time since she had last spoken privately to Kasanoda, and she kind of missed it. She went by the same pond he was always at and smiled when he saw him there. He noticed her and smiled back as she came to sit next to him.

"Haven't seen you in a while." Kasanoda said as he tossed a few breadcrumbs into the pond. Mira delightfully noted that a pair of ducks had decided to make this pond their residence.

"I know." Mira said, taking some of the bread and tossing out little pieces into the water, watching as one of the ducks ate some of the bread before the fish, "Life's just been kind of hectic recently."

"Well, that's what happens when you join the host club." Kasanoda said, "Life goes from perfectly normal, to completely insane." Mira snorted in laughter.

"Tell me about it." She said. Neither one of them were aware of the six pairs of eyes that were spying on them from a hidden part of the garden.

"Guys, this is ridiculous." Haruhi said to Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki, and Honey, who were watching the pair intently, "Just because she hangs out with Casanova-kun doesn't mean she's involved with the yakuza."

"SHHH!" The four silenced her before going back to spying on the pair.

"Tell them, Kyoya-sempai." Haruhi said, turning to Kyoya for some kind of light to be shone on this situation, but he said nothing.

"I, uh…" Kasanoda cleared his throat, "I saw that nurse costume you were wearing yesterday." Mira looked over at him.

"Yeah, what about it?" She asked, a suspicious expression on her face. Kasanoda went a little red.

"I thought it looked pretty sexy on you." He said, Mira blushed deeply.

"D-Don't say stuff like that!" She snapped, looking more embarrassed than angry, "It's embarrassing!" Kasanoda looked at her with a blank expression for a moment, then smirked, and he began to snicker behind his hand. When Mira realized what he was doing, she blushed even deeper as he began laughing aloud, "What the hell's so funny?"

Kasanoda pulled her into a one-arm hug, "Nothing." He said, "It's just…" He calmed himself down so he could speak clearly to her, "I can see why the host club would want you in there." Mira looked at him in confusion, "You're pretty cute when you're embarrassed." Mira's blush came back full force.

"I told you not to say stuff like that!" She shouted, Kasanoda smiled.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" He said, pointing at her blushing face.

"Shut up!" Mira said, pushing him over the bench. He fell over with a yelp. She saw him sprawled on the grassy ground, and laughed a little to herself.

"Ah, you jerk." Kasanoda said with a smirk at Mira. She stuck out her tongue at him and he grabbed it.

"Ah! Hey!" Mira said, her speaking slurred by his holding of her tongue, "Wet go ohf mah thung!"

"I don't think so." Kasanoda said, laughing a little at her words. Mira tried to pull her tongue away from his grasp, but he kept holding it.

" _Nhaah_!" Mira whined, "Wet go!"

"Say my name ten times, and I might." Kasanoda said with a grin, Mira glared at him, but began to do so.

"Withoo Kathanoja, Withoo Kathanoja, Withoo Kathanoja…" Kasanoda began guffawing at her attempt to say his name, but she kept going. This little playful behavior did not go unnoticed by the host club.

"Wait, you don't think…" Tamaki began, "Maybe, Bossanova-kun might like Mira-sempai?"

"But doesn't he like Haru-chan?" Honey asked, looking up at Tamaki.

"He likes me?" Haruhi asked in surprise, the boys ignored her for the moment.

"Maybe he changed his mind." The twins suggested.

"Or he could just be friends with Mira-sempai." Kyoya suggested boredly, seeing this entire expedition as completely pointless.

"With the way  _they're_  acting?" Tamaki asked pointing to the two of them as Kasanoda laughed even harder when Mira continued.

"Withoo Kathanoja!" Mira said, "Now wet go ohf mah thung!" Kasanoda released the pink muscle from his fingers and she immediately shut her mouth, "Ugh! It's all dry now!" Kasanoda only laughed in return.

* * *

Mira walked into the host club, noticing that it was unusually quiet. She turned around and noticed the host club all sitting quietly, staring at her.

"What?" She asked, looking at their faces.

"Mira-sempai…" Tamaki said seriously, but calmly as he walked towards her, "We're a little concerned about you."

"Concerned?" Mira repeated, "What for?"

"Well…" Tamaki began, "The twins told us that you went out with a shady character last night and, we need to know…" He grabbed her shoulders and got in her face, " _Are you indebted to the yakuza?_!"

"What?" Mira asked in surprise.

"You went away with a shady character, and you talk to Bossanova-kun a lot!" Tamaki whined, "Are you in trouble Mira-sempai? We can help you if you're in trouble-" Mira punched his chin, sending him flying back.

"Personal space!" She said as she cracked her knuckles, "Okay, one: if I was in trouble with the yakuza, you guys are the last people I'd come to for help. Two: The guy I went off with wasn't 'shady'! He just has a weird sense of style!"

"Then who was he?" The twins demanded, coming up to her. She glared at them and they went back a couple steps, "And why did you try and convince us he was your brother?" Mira sighed.

"Okay, look, the truth is…" She racked her head for a believable lie, but could only come up with one, and it made her a bit sick to think about it, so she chose a less believable one, "He was my cousin visiting from out of town."

"You lie!" The twins said, poking their fingers in her face, she smacked them away.

"Alright, alright!" She said, "He's…" She sighed, "He's my… boyfriend."

" _Boyfriend?_!" The twins asked incredulously, gaping at her. Mira nodded, "You have a  _boyfriend_?"

"Yes, he's my…" She gulped down the sick feeling trying to work its way up her throat, "Boyfriend."

"Why haven't you told us this?" Tamaki asked, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Because, he's a punk!" Mira lied, "If my dad found out I was dating him, I'd never be allowed out of the house ever again."

"What's his name?" The twins asked.

"Kazuma." Mira answered, "Kazuma Itsuki. He doesn't go to this school." She grimaced as she felt her insides beginning to push up more of her lunch at the thought of Kazuma as her boyfriend. She convulsed a little and held her hand over her mouth.

"Mira-chan, are you okay?" Honey asked worriedly, seeing her now pale face.

"Yeah…" She answered, "I just threw up in my mouth a little bit."

"You're not sick, are you?" Honey asked, Mira was about to answer, but he had already made up his mind, "Takashi, we better get her to the infirmary!" He said to Mori, who nodded and picked up Mira in his arms and began to take her to the infirmary, Honey close behind. Once the doors had shut, the host club began to mull over what Mira had said to them.

"A boyfriend…" Tamaki said with sunken shoulders, "There goes the 'blossoming romance' plan…"

Kyoya adjusted his glasses before he spoke, "I think it's in the best interest of our club that no one knows about this. It would cause a serious drop in customers for Mira-sempai." Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

Mira sat on the bed in the infirmary, the nurse taking her temperature and blood pressure, "I told you, I'm fine!" Mira insisted to Honey as he watched carefully from beside her, "Really, I'm not sick or anything. It was just something I ate, I'm sure." Honey looked like he didn't believe her as the nurse plucked out the thermometer from Mira's mouth.

"Well, you have a normal temperature…" She said, looking at the 96.5 reading on it, "But maybe you should rest a bit, just in case." Mira sighed.

"Yes ma'am." She said, lying down on the bed. The nurse nodded once before turning and leaving. Honey looked at her worriedly, "Really, Honey, I'm fine. Look, just go back to the club and tell them I won't be there for today, okay?"

Honey nodded once, "Okay." He turned to his cousin, "Watch her, okay?" Mori nodded and Honey began to walk out of the infirmary, "Oh, yeah!" He turned around and handed his stuffed pink bunny to Mira, "Here, Usa-chan will make you feel better sooner." He turned back around and walked out of the infirmary. Mira looked at the bunny Honey had given her and shrugged as she held it in her arms. She and Mori sat in the silence, Mira could feel his gaze on her, but she didn't dare meet it. She was worried about what might happen if she did.

"You have a boyfriend." Mori said simply. Mira didn't reply for a moment.

"Actually… I don't." She said, Mori looked at her in surprise, "Look, don't tell them I told you this, but he's just a loser that I work with." It was partially true, even if she didn't have a job, "I told them that he was my boyfriend so they'd stay off my back."

"Why tell me?" Mori asked, Mira looked up at him and smiled.

"Because I know you're very good at keeping secrets." She said.

"Ah." Was his only reply. He smiled at the thought that Mira trusted him so much, and another part of him was thrilled that she only lied about her boyfriend.

 


	17. Chapter 17 - Boyfriend? What?

17

"Will you leave me  _alone?_!" Mira growled as the two twins followed her out of the school, Isabella watching the entire spectacle with a smile. The two of them were walking home since Mira's car had yet to be repaired and neither of their brothers could take them home today.

"No!" They said, sounding like stubborn children. Mira glared at them.

"Why are you following me?" She asked, "I already have  _one_  pair of insanely overprotective twins looking out for me at home, and I don't need another pair!"

"And you have your boyfriend, too." Hikaru said, Mira tensed and quickly shushed him, waving her hands to get him to be quiet. But it wasn't much good.

"Did he just say boyfriend?" Isabella asked, suddenly interested in their conversation.

"No!" Mira said quickly, "No, no, he said… he said… He  _meant_  my guy friends! Not boyfriend,  _definitely_  not boyfriend."

"Uh-huh…" Isabella said with a sly smirk.

"I'm serious!" Mira insisted, hurrying after her younger sister. The twins came scurrying after them, with every intention of following them home.

* * *

"Why am I just hearing about this  _now?_!" Alfonso demanded of Mira as she, Kenneth, and Isabella sat in the living room (Their father was on a business trip at the time).

"It's not what you think!" Mira said, "I don't  _really_  have a boyfriend!"

"Then why did Isabella say you did?" Kenneth asked, much more calmly than his brother.

"She was just repeating what she heard from Hikaru and Kaoru!" Mira reasoned.

"And  _why_  were they saying that?" Alfonso asked.

"Because…" Mira trailed off, "Because I…"

"Because you what?" Alfonso demanded. Mira gestured for him to come closer and he leaned down. She leaned up so she could speak in his ear and whispered something to him. His angered face softened as he kept listening and pulled away when she was done, "Are you serious?" Mira nodded silently and he stood up straight, "Okay, that makes more sense."

"What does?" Isabella asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"She said-" Mira cut him off.

"Don't tell her!" She hissed at him, Alfonso stopped and looked at her questioningly, "You know how big of a mouth she has." Alfonso sighed, knowing that was much truer than he would have liked, "And Kenny's not much better." He looked over at Kenneth, suddenly remembering about how he told Mira about him being 'diaper boy'.

"Okay." Alfonso said, Isabella groaned.

"Why?" She asked, "Why can't we know about whatever it is?"

"Just because!" Mira snapped, she got up and began to walk away, "I'm going to go to bed, goodnight."

"'Night." Alfonso bid as she walked up the stairs to her room.

* * *

_A few days later…_

"It's been unusually quiet lately…" Mira muttered as she walked through the hallway with Haruhi to the host club.

Haruhi looked over at her, "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Remember all those threats I got?" Mira asked, Haruhi nodded, "Well, there hasn't been a single one since. It makes me really uneasy…" Haruhi shrugged.

"Maybe they gave up?" She suggested. Mira shook her head.

"No, stalkers don't give up that easy." She said, she narrowed her eyes at the windows as they passed, "They must be planning something."

"What could they possibly plan by now?" Haruhi asked, "The host club has you on watch 24/7, myself included. If we saw anything suspicious, we would know by now." Mira still didn't look convinced, so Haruhi decided to change the subject, "I got my English test back today."

"Oh, yeah?" Mira asked, grateful for the change in topic, "What was your score?" Haruhi smiled as she pulled it out of her school bag and handed it to Mira. She looked at the score and the message the teacher had written at the top.

**_97_ **

**_Good job, Haruhi!_ **

"Haruhi, that's _great_!" Mira exclaimed, throwing an arm around her petite friend's shoulders, "I'm so proud of you!" Haruhi smiled a little sheepishly at her as she hugged her.

"Well, it was only because of your tutoring." She reasoned with a blush.

"And it only worked because you listened!" Mira said, releasing her, "This is really great, Haruhi. I'm really happy for you." She handed the test back to her.

"Thanks." Haruhi said, putting the test back in her bag, "So, are you still going to tutor me?" Mira shrugged.

"Only of you keep tutoring me." She said, she grimaced and looked away, "I still haven't done so well in trigonometry…" Haruhi nodded.

"Okay." She said, they walked into the third music room where the host club waited on the other side.

Tamaki ran up to them the second they entered, "Mira-sempai! Haruhi!" He sang, Mira stopped him with a push of her hands before he could hug them. Tamaki pouted at her, "So _mean_ , Mira-sempai!" Mira rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She said, "You don't normally hug me right off the bat, did something happen?" Tamaki instantly regained his happy demeanor.

"Yes!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a brochure and presented to the two girls. Haruhi took it from him and inspected it, looking at the picture of a beautiful mountain against a clear blue sky on the front. "I got it in the mail this morning, and I thought going to the mountains would be great for the weekend! So, I'm inviting the entire club to go hiking with me!" Mira walked away from him.

"I can't, I have stuff to do this weekend." She said, Tamaki pouted and walked after her.

"But,  _Mira-sempai_!" He whined.

"But  _nothing_!" Mira snapped, "I only get four weekends a month, and I'm not willing to spend it all with you guys! Why should I, anyway?"

"Because we want to spend time with you!" Tamaki whined, " _Please_?" Mira stared at him dryly as he gave her a defeated puppy dog look.

"You suck at the puppy dog pout, and my answer is still no." Mira said, continuing to walk away.

"MIRA-SEMPAI!" The twins shouted from behind her, Mira stiffened and quickly spun around, kicking them both away from her, making them land flat on their faces.

" _Jesus_!" She breathed, holding her hand over her heart, "Don't scare me like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Well, you nearly broke our noses!" The twins said, jumping up, glaring angrily at her, both their noses bleeding.

"It's not my fault!" Mira countered, "You snuck up on me! I kicked you on instinct!"

"Some instinct…" The twins muttered, wiping the blood away.

"So, what do you want?" The twins' demeanors seemed to change entirely at the mention, grinning darkly at one another before pulling out a slim-fitting, short skirted, black maid dress complete with a white apron and a little white ribbon for a headband.

"Put this on!" They said, shoving it at her. Mira stared at the dress, horrified for a moment, before throwing it back.

"No way! I'm not wearing that ugly thing!" She exclaimed, "I don't care how long you spent on it, there's no way you're gonna make me!"

"But Mira-sempai, today's the day we celebrate the sakura." Hikaru said, holding up one half of the dress with that same dark grin.

"We're all dressing up as waiters and serving tea to the customers." Kaoru said, holding up the other half of the dress with the same grin as his brother.

"You  _have_  to wear it." They said, leaning closer. Mira took a step back from the two of them, their behavior creeping her out.

"Like hell!" She hissed at the two of them.

"No, Mira-sempai they're right." Kyoya said, popping up behind her and startling her, "You have to wear it. All the hosts are dressing up for this occasion."

"No they're not!" Mira snapped, "I bet  _Haruhi_  doesn't have to wear a maid's dress!" She pointed at the cross-dresser in question. Haruhi sweat dropped.

"Please don't drag me into this, Mira-sempai…" She said, but Mira ignored her as she waited for Kyoya's response.

"Haruhi will be wearing the traditional kimono, so as to hide her identity as a girl." Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses, "You, however, don't have a choice. It's the maid's outfit or nothing, and I happen to have no other costumes available." Mira blushed at the idea of walking around in her underwear, or worse, butt naked. She blushed even deeper when she had accidentally reminded herself of Mori seeing her naked. She shook her head quickly to rid herself of the memory. She snatched the dress from the twins' hands.

"Fine, I'll wear the stupid dress." She grumbled, walking over to the changing room.

"Oh, by the way, sempai." Kyoya said idly, walking over to her, pulling an envelope from his inner jacket pocket. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "These are the results for the finger print check you gave me." Mira's eyes widened as she took the envelope from him, "Other than your prints, I didn't get any other matches on the database." He pulled away and Mira looked down at the envelope.

"Which one did you check, again?" Mira asked in a quiet voice similar to his. The hosts strained to try and hear their words as they spoke to one another, curious as to why they were whispering.

"Only the criminal database." Kyoya said, "That's all 60,000 yen can do, after all." Mira nodded and pocketed the envelope.

"Thanks, anyway, Kyoya." Mira said, her voice back to its usual volume. She turned and walked into the changing room. Once the door had shut, Tamaki came up behind Kyoya with a suspicious look on his face.

"What did you just talk about?" He asked, Kyoya turned and walked away from the blonde.

"That information is strictly confidential, Tamaki." He said, adjusting his glasses calmly. Tamaki pouted childishly.

" _Kyoya_!" He whined, "Mommy isn't allowed to keep secrets from Daddy!"

* * *

Mira blushed as she pulled down the back of her dress in an attempt to cover herself.

"This is stupid." She muttered as she handed a tray of tea cups to Haruhi, whose official job was to pour tea for the customers without actually serving them.

"Almost everything about the host club is stupid." Haruhi replied with a grin as she poured the steaming liquid into the cups, "You're just realizing this now?" Mira smirked.

"Smartass." She said, lightly shoving Haruhi's shoulder, who laughed quietly at the gesture.

"So, what  _are_  you doing this weekend anyway?" Haruhi asked, remembering what Mira had said earlier, "Spending some time with your boyfriend?" She saw Mira convulse a little bit in disgust. "You okay?"

Mira nodded, "Yeah, yeah." She dismissed Haruhi's concern with a wave of her hand, "You could say I'm spending time with him."

"A date?" Haruhi asked, putting the teapot down.

"I'd rather not go into it." Mira said, taking the tray from her and walking over to her customers. She was completely unaware of a pair of dark eyes following her short-skirted behind.

When he realized he was staring, Mori blushed and looked back at his customers. He offered them some of the teacups on his tray and they gladly took it, still cooing over Honey's cute waiter's outfit. Mori found that he was drowning out their words, and soon enough, his eyes began drifting back to Mira.

He had never told anyone, not even his cousin, that he had a  _serious_  maid fetish, especially ones with skirts that were oh-so-short. His eyes widened slightly when Mira bent over to put the teacups on the table, and caught a glimpse of her pair of  _virgin white panties_. God, that was hot. She stood up straight again, and Mori looked back at his customers. He became painfully aware that his pants were much tighter than they were a moment ago. He inwardly groaned and inconspicuously moved his empty tea tray over the front of his pants.

What was that girl  _doing_  to him?

Ever since the incident at Honey's beach house, he felt a thousand different things when he saw Mira. He would feel excitement, shyness, shame, amorousness, and a thousand other things. It was like he was a kid with a first love in junior high all over again. He would listen to his heart pounding in his ears, he would clench his sweaty hands, and he would pray to all the powers that be, that she wouldn't notice them shaking. He quietly let out a deep breath to try and calm himself down, he needed to focus on the host club right now, not keep looking up Mira's skirt.

He turned back to his customers just as Mira looked back at him. She inwardly squirmed at the sight of him in his waiter's outfit. She had to admit, clothes really  _did_  make the man. He looked so professional in his formal attire, and the stoic way he carried himself only added to the way he looked. She felt her heartbeat accelerating as she looked him up and down. She felt a blush coming upon her cheeks and pushed it back down, turning away and looking back at her customers. God, what was happening to her? It was like she was a hormone-raged tween with her first crush! She tugged on the back of her skirt again, making sure that no one could see her panties, because she was fairly certain she had felt a very cold draft sneaking up there when she bent over.

Both of the two teens were totally unaware of a third, hidden, pair of eyes that watched the small, silent exchange between them. A burning fire of hatred shone brightly before they turned away from the host club's sakura celebration and ran off elsewhere.

* * *

"Hey, Mira-chan?" Honey asked as the customers walked away.

"Hmm?" She said, looking down at him.

"What is it that you do every weekend when you're not with us?" Honey asked, Mira blanched and began to walk away from the small blonde, but he came after her nonetheless.

"I don't really want to talk about that." She said, not meeting his big brown eyes as they stared up at her.

"Why not?" Honey asked innocently, trying to get her to meet his eyes, so she looked in the direction opposite him.

"Because it's personal." Mira said, jumping when she almost bumped into Tamaki.

"Actually, I want to know what you do on the weekends, too." He said, "It's not like you ever tell us."

"Well, excuse me for keeping my private life  _private_!" Mira snapped as she walked around him. She stopped when the twins suddenly popped up in front of her.

"Well, why can't we know about it?" They asked, Mira glared at them.

"I prefer to keep my home life and my school life separate." Mira said, walking around them, and attempting to walk Kyoya when she saw him, but he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"You're not hanging out with your boyfriend in public, are you?" Kyoya asked, Mira looked at him confusedly before letting a sly smirk slip onto her face.

"Why, Kyoya?" She asked, "Jealous?" Kyoya released her shoulder.

"I am merely keeping the interests of the club in mind." He said, adjusting his glasses, "What if someone from school sees you and him being intimate? Or, if your boyfriend is the jealous type, what if he disapproves of you being a member?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Mira said, a knowing smirk unconsciously making its way onto her face. "Look, I'm not doing anything bad for me,  _or_  for the host club." She quickly added the last part when she saw Kyoya was about to open his mouth. "Just… stay out of it, okay?" She turned and kept walking away from the hosts, who all shared glances with other hosts, knowing most of them (Minus Haruhi) were thinking the same thing.

* * *

_That weekend…_

Mira opened the door to her house, a large duffle bag on her shoulder as she turned around and called, "Bye, I'm going out!" to whoever was listening. She closed the door behind her and began walking down the street, completely unaware of two pairs of golden eyes watching her through a pair of binoculars.

"She just left the house." Hikaru said into a walkie-talkie.

"Roger that." Tamaki's voice sounded on the other line, "Keep tailing her until she stops."

"Yes, sir." The twins responded, keeping vigilant watch on Mira as she walked off of her family's property and onto the sidewalk. Not knowing or caring about the pair of twins, who had dressed in casual wear, with identical ball caps to hide their hair, and sunglasses to conceal their eyes. They followed her down the sidewalk until she came to a small café, where she pulled her phone out of her pocket and speed dialed someone.

"Hey, I'm here." She said to the person on the other line, after a pause she spoke again, "Yeah, I'll just grab a frappucino or something… Yeah, okay. See you." She hung up and went inside the café, taking her place in line. Kaoru pulled out his walkie-talkie.

"Boss, she just went into a café." He said, "And it looks like she won't be coming out for a while."

"Okay, keep an eye on her until she moves locations." Tamaki said, "But make sure you're not seen!"

The two twins nodded simultaneously, "Roger!" They quickly crossed the street, ignoring the strange looks they were receiving for such quick footwork and hid behind the bushes on the other side. They watched Mira through a pair of binoculars as she paid for the frappucino. She took it from the barista and walked outside, sitting at one of the small tables, setting her bag down beside her chair. She reached into her bag, pulling out a book, and zipping the bag back up. She pulled a bookmark out from between the pages and started reading, taking occasional sips of her caffeinated drink.

The twins found themselves becoming increasingly bored after ten minutes of waiting for her to do something other than drink and read.

"Why can't she just pull out a gun or something?" Hikaru grumbled, "That might make this a bit interesting."

"Don't wish for something like that, Hikaru." Kaoru said, "Knowing Mira-sempai, she just might  _have_  a gun." The twins grimaced at the thought of a furious Mira loading a shotgun.

"Good point." Hikaru said, looking back at Mira. He perked up when she saw her look up from her book as a familiar vehicle began to pull up. He saw the young man from before, Mira had said his name was Kazuma, wave at her from his car. She waved back and shut her book before she quickly downed the rest of her drink. Kaoru quickly pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Boss!" He said urgently into it, "Mira-sempai's getting into a car with her boyfriend! We can't follow them on foot!"

"Quick, which way are they going?" Tamaki demanded.

"Um…" Kaoru watched as Mira plopped down into the passenger's seat, and Kazuma began to turn the car around, "They're heading down Ongaku Street!"

"Okay!" Tamaki nodded, then picked up another walkie-talkie, "Kyoya! Mira-sempai took to the streets! She's going down Ongaku!"

"Understood." Kyoya said, turning the key of a very sleek and smooth Ferrari that he, Mori, Honey, and Haruhi were seated in. Kyoya was driving, Haruhi sat in the passenger seat, and Honey and Mori sat in the back. Honey had grown tired of waiting around and had fallen asleep in Mori's lap, and no one in the car was willing to wake him up to tell him they were going after Mira.

"I can't believe you dragged me into this…" Haruhi muttered as she put on a pair of sunglasses as Tamaki had instructed. Kyoya and Mori did the same.

"Come now, Haruhi," Kyoya said as he pulled out, "You can't admit that you're not curious about what she does every weekend."

"I may be curious, but at least I respect her privacy!" Haruhi said.

"Then why are you here?" Kyoya asked, "It's not like we forced you to come."

Haruhi didn't respond.

"What kind of car is he driving?" Kyoya asked into the walkie-talkie.

"The twins said it was a silver BMW." Tamaki replied.

"I see it." Kyoya said as he drove into the same lane as a silver BMW, keeping a distance from it as it kept going down the street. "I wonder what made her pick Itsuki-san as a boyfriend." He commented randomly.

Haruhi looked over at him curiously, "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I found his file from his university." Kyoya said, "He's nineteen and attending Gekijo art school, with a major in theater, specifically musicals. His parents are both well-known Broadway performers, and his younger sister just succeeded in gaining the lead role in West Side Story. His interests mainly revolve around that part of his life, music, acting, and he dabbles a bit in songwriting. He's even publishing his own manuscript for a musical called 'Sk8ter Void'." He put on his turn signal when the convertible, following them off the road. "He just doesn't really seem like the kind of man Mira-sempai would go for." Haruhi shrugged.

"Maybe she prefers the artsy types?" She suggested, Kyoya shrugged uncaringly. Mori smiled silently to himself, knowing that it was all a lie. He could have told them he wasn't her boyfriend and ended any suspicions about the subject, but he wouldn't betray the trust Mira had put in him.

"Mm…?" A little murmur turned Haruhi's attention to the back seat where Honey was waking up, "Where are we going?"

"We're following Mira-sempai." Haruhi said.

"Oh…" Honey murmured, rubbing his eye tiredly, "Where is she going?"

"It looks like a warehouse." Kyoya said, pulling the car into a parking lot opposite the one Mira and Kazuma had pulled into across the street. The building was very large and rundown looking, and Mira and Kazuma walked into it, shutting a huge door behind them. Kyoya reached down and pulled up the walkie-talkie, "Tamaki, do you still have that GPS tracker I gave you?"

"Yeah, it's right here." Tamaki said, "Oh, you can't see it, can you, Kyoya?"

"It doesn't matter." Kyoya said, "Lock onto our signal and get here as fast as you can." He narrowed his eyes at the warehouse, "It seems our sempai is doing something very suspicious."


	18. Chapter 18 - Wait, she's doing WHAT!?

18

Kyoya impatiently tapped his foot against the concrete ground as he waited for Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru to arrive. He looked over at the warehouse Mira had entered and let out a small huff. If the situation hadn't been so important (He likes to keep tabs on the hosts' hobbies, occupations, and other means of using time) he wouldn't have been so anxious.

"What's wrong, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked, seeing his foot never ceasing in its tapping.

"I'm simply impatient, Honey-sempai." Kyoya said, he almost glared as he saw a limousine pull up near them, Tamaki and the twins coming out of the back seat, "What took you so long?"

"I had to find the twins." Tamaki said, pointing at the two of them, Kyoya said nothing and pushed his glasses up his nose, "Where's Mira-sempai?"

"In there." Kyoya said, pointing to the building. Tamaki gaped at the sight of it.

"In  _there?_!" He asked, Kyoya nodded once in response. Tamaki began to sweat nervously, "What could Daddy's little girl possibly be doing in  _there?_!"

"That's what we're going to find out." Kyoya said, beginning to walk to the building. The other hosts quickly followed him. When Kyoya reached the door, however, his hand paused on the handle.

"Kyoya, why are you stopping?" The twins demanded, Kyoya stared at the handle, not once looking back at the other hosts.

"I'm almost worried about what I'm going to see." He muttered.

"So are we!" Hikaru said.

"But we aren't going to stop now!" Kaoru said.

"Think of what could be lying beyond that door!" Hikaru said.

"Open it, Kyoya!" Tamaki said, Kyoya took in a deep breath and pulled open the door. The entire host club gaped at the sight before them.

There were at least a dozen different couples, all of them doing the same style of dance as music played through the room. It was an upbeat, jazzy sort of tune that they all recognized as swing music. Specifically, the song 'Sing, Sing, Sing' by Louis Prima. Among the crowd, they spotted Mira, her hair up in a high ponytail as she swing danced with Kazuma. She was dressed in a tank top and form-fitting pants, a pair of comfortable sneakers were on her feet. She let herself be lifted up into the air, spreading her legs apart as she came down, letting Kazuma hold her like that for a split second, before he sent her back up into the air and let her come back down onto her feet, moving quickly with the music.

"Don't tell me  _this_  is what she does." Haruhi said with a grimace, watching Mira move with her partner. "I can't believe we got so worked up over dance lessons."

"Actually, she's not half-bad." Hikaru said, resting his elbow on his brother's shoulder and leaning on him.

"Yeah, you'd think a girl like Mira would be the  _last_  person you'd find dancing." Kaoru mused, bringing his hand to his chin.

"Hey! Mira-chan!" Honey shouted, making the hosts jump at the sound of his voice, "You're really good!" Mira's head swerved to see who was speaking and her eyes widened as she saw Honey standing near the entrance to the building, waving happily.

" _H-Honey?_!" Was all she squeaked out in a very high-pitched tone of surprise, before falling over with a yelp on top of Kazuma. In her surprise, her foot had accidentally tangled with his, making him trip and pull her down with her.

"Damn it, Marino!" Kazuma cursed, "What the hell?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Mira said, untangling herself from him, "Can we take five?"

"No way!" Kazuma said, "We just started, I'm not letting you off that easy, Marino!" Mira glared fiercely at him and pointed her finger at his face.

"Look,  _buster_ ," She growled out, "It's  _my_  time of the month, and I'm freakin' _PMSing_  right now! I am pissed out of my mind, and I have more than enough energy to kick your sideshow ass all the way to Timbuktu,  _so you do NOT wanna tick me off_!" Kazuma backed away from her.

"Okay! Okay! Sheesh!" He said, scrambling up, "Five minutes." Mira nodded and picked herself up. She looked over at Honey, and grimaced when she saw the rest of the host club was there as well. She walked over to them, her head hung over slightly in embarrassment. She looked up at them, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"Please don't tell my family about this."

* * *

Mira leaned against the wall of the warehouse, a bottle of water in her hand as the host club waited for her to speak.

"Okay," Mira sighed out, "What do you guys want to know?"

"What are you doing here?" Tamaki asked.

"Why are you here?" Kaoru asked.

"Is Kazuma  _really_  your boyfriend?" Hikaru asked.

"Why are you dancing?" Honey asked. Mira sighed and took a sip from her water bottle before answering the questions in order.

"I'm here because the recreation center has been holding a ping pong tournament for the past month and we can't practice there today. The only reason we chose this location was because it was a cheap rent-out. No, Kazuma is  _not_  my boyfriend, he's just my dancing partner that I have a decent enough relationship with so that I don't have the urge to strangle him somewhere and throw his body into a river." She took in a big gulp of air, because she had said her entire speech in one long breath. "And I'm dancing because…" The club noticed how her eyes saddened a bit, "Because, when I was a kid, my mom always wanted me to take dance lessons. I always hated going, because I always wound up wearing pantyhose, and I hated pantyhose, and I still do, but… Once she was put in the hospital, she didn't make me dance anymore. At first I was thrilled, but later on I started to miss it. So, without my family knowing, I enrolled myself in a dance school, and I'm scheduled to dance in a competition next month." She stared down at her water bottle with a sad gaze and a tiny smile, "I want to win first place and take home the trophy to her, so she can be happy that her daughter is the dancer she wanted her to be."

The host club was silent for a moment before Tamaki burst into tears and pulled Mira into a tight hug.

"Mira-sempai!" He cried, "That's so beautiful! You're working hard to please your sick mother, so she can be proud of her daughter! It's so wonderful!"

"Tamaki…!" Mira gasped, "Can't… Breathe…!" Mori reached into Tamaki's arms and pulled her out of his iron grip and back on the floor. She let out a breath of relief, "Thanks, Mori." He nodded once in response.

"So, Itsuki-san is  _not_  your boyfriend?" Kyoya asked, adjusting his glasses.

"No, he's not." Mira confirmed, "I'm still blissfully single, and I couldn't be happier. Well… Actually I  _could_ , but I won't get into that." She glanced at Mori for a split second when she said this.

"Why haven't you told your family about this?" Haruhi asked.

"I think that should be obvious!" Mira said, "It's bad enough  _you_  guys are here, I would be completely  _humiliated_  if my entire family found out! I've only told Alfonso, but that's because I know he can keep secrets!" She stopped as a thought suddenly occurred to her, "Wait…" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "How did you guys even know where I was?" She saw Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru broke out into nervous sweating. Kyoya and Haruhi looked away from her eyes, Honey hid behind Mori's pant leg, and Mori said nothing, looking straight ahead of him. Mira glared at them, "You  _followed_  me, didn't you?"

"We're sorry, Mira-sempai!" Tamaki said, "But you wouldn't tell us what you were doing, and we were worried you had gotten into some kind of trouble and you couldn't tell us about it, so we followed you! We're sorry!" An angry vein appeared on Mira's head, and her eyebrow twitched angrily.

"I got half a mind to file restraining orders on you freaks!" She growled out, clenching her fists, Tamaki and the twins shrunk back from her fury.

"We're sorry!" They all screamed. Mira raised her fist up in preparation to punch them, and they flinched back, but the hit never came. The three of them looked to see the fist was still raised, but Mira hadn't thrown the punch yet. Instead, she let out a long sigh and put her fist down.

"I really shouldn't waste my energy on you." She said, suddenly calm. "Look, you guys can stick around if you want, but don't go around telling everyone this, okay? It's really embarrassing."

"If we can keep Haruhi's secret, we can keep yours, Mira-sempai!" Tamaki promised with a smile. Mira nodded once.

"Okay." She said, she took a big gulp from her water bottle and walked back over to where Kazuma waited, "Hey! Let's keep practicing."

"About time." Kazuma said, getting up. He walked beside Mira back out to where everyone was dancing and they started dancing again. By now, the music had changed to 'It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing' and they danced accordingly. The host club watching them do so from the sidelines.

"Who would have guessed?" Tamaki mused, "Mira-sempai, a dancer."

"She really doesn't seem like it." The twins agreed, nodding their heads.

Haruhi looked over at Kyoya and saw him grinning as he watched Mira and Kazuma dance, "Why are you smiling like that, Kyoya-sempai?" She asked, worried about what might be going through his devious head.

"Mira-sempai doesn't have a boyfriend." He said, "It's just a load off my mind. Now, I won't have to worry about the host club losing its customers." Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"Of  _course_  that's what you're worried about…" She muttered to herself. She should have known better. Kyoya was Kyoya, after all.

* * *

The host club stayed until the classes were over, and they lasted about two hours. Mira insisted that they didn't have to, but they did anyway. When Mira was finished, she went into another room, and when she came out, she was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans; the clothes she danced in were inside her duffle bag.

"Okay," Mira said, walking over to them, "So, I'm going home, and you guys can do whatever, just don't. Tell. Anyone. If I find out that you did, I will hunt you down, stick your head in a boiling pot of water, cut you open with a scalpel and rip out your intestines." Some of the hosts paled at her threat, seeing her completely serious face.

"W-We won't." Tamaki assured, "We promise."

"Good." Mira said, she walked around the hosts, "Then I will see you guys on Monday."

"Wait, Mira-chan!" Honey called, running after her, "Me and Takashi will walk you home!"

"Uh, that's not necessary." Mira said, Honey smiled up at her.

"But we want to!" He said, he looked up at his cousin, "Don't we, Takashi?" Mori nodded once. Mira sighed.

"Okay, fine." She said, in the deepest, smallest, most hidden part of her mind, she was squealing in delight at the thought of Mori walking her home. But she refused to acknowledge it as she walked out of the warehouse (Which the host club found out was actually frequently used by people for parties and such) with Mori and Honey on each side of her.

* * *

After that, things were relatively quiet for Mira, which was something she happily welcomed. Although, she wasn't exactly pleased with the twins' costumes that they made for her at the host club, she still wore them, unknowingly catching the eye of a certain silent kendo team member when she did. She would also get surrounded by her fan club, who would ask her all sorts of questions about her life. She would answer some of the innocent ones like, 'Where were you born?' and 'Which do you prefer, dogs or cats?' but there were some that made her blush bright red and she couldn't answer them. 'When was your first kiss?' 'Are you a virgin?' 'Are there any hosts you like?' Kyoya, however demonic and sadistic he may be, would come to her rescue in times like these, and she would be tempted to thank him, but she knew that would only add to his conceit.

She was fine with everything, until the week after that…

"What the hell do you mean 'school ball?'" Mira demanded as she snatched the flier Renge had made from the girl's hands.

"It's an event the host club is holding next week." Renge said with a smile as Mira went over every inch of the flier, "It's hosted by,  _duh!_  The host club, there'll be lots of delicious food, and lots of dancing!"

"What kind of dancing, exactly?" Mira asked, not looking up from the paper.

"Oh, that's what makes this one so special!" Renge said excitedly, "Each host is going to get the spotlight for a different style of dance!" Mira's head shot up, gripping the paper so tightly that it threatened to be torn in half.

"What did you just say?" She asked.

"Well, minus me, Honey-sempai, and Haruhi." Renge said absently, "We're judging the performances. Other than that, all the hosts are performing a different style of dance." She looked at Mira's hands when she crumpled up the paper so much that it actually tore in half.

" _Whose idea was this?_!" She demanded through gritted teeth. Renge looked at her with wide eyes.

"Um, I think it was Kyoya's…" She muttered, the second she mentioned the name, Mira dashed off, leaving the torn flier behind her. Renge picked up both the pieces with a frown, "Yeah, just totally  _rip_  the flier I worked on for two hours…"

* * *

Mira burst through the doors of the host club, startling everyone in the room. "KYOYA!" Mira shouted out, running towards him. Thinking she was about to hit him, he readied himself in preparation to run, but instead, she grabbed his tie and dragged him away, nearly choking him as she did so, "I need to talk with you." Kyoya tried to frantically loosen the ever-tightening tie around his neck, but Mira did not relent as she walked toward the back room and threw him in there by his tie. She came in after him and slammed the door shut behind her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I think  _I_  should be the one asking that." Kyoya said with a grunt as he straightened himself, loosening his tie.

"You suddenly decided to throw a school ball without my knowing about it _?_!" Mira said, "I thought you said you were gonna keep my lessons secret!"

"I never said I was going to reveal it." Kyoya said, "You are merely partaking in a simple club activity, the dance style is your choice entirely."

"Oh, so, if I wanted to go out there and do the funky chicken, I could?" Mira asked, looking for confirmation.

"No," Kyoya said immediately, "You need to choose from a set of different styles that I have chosen for each of the members who are dancing." He pulled out a little black book from his pocket, "Let's see, Mori-sempai's doing the waltz, so you can't do that. Hikaru is doing the salsa, and Kaoru is doing the cha-cha, so those two are out. Tamaki is doing the tango. I, myself, am doing the Vietnamese waltz, so the only option left for you would be…" He smirked, "Swing dancing." Mira glared at him, grinding her teeth.

"You bastard." Mira growled, she grabbed his tie and brought him closer to her face and she lifted up her fist in preparation to punch him.

"Now just a moment!" Kyoya said quickly, Mira paused, "Before you hit me, let me tell you that this wasn't my idea." Mira gripped the tie tighter, threatening to cut off his air supply.

"Who?" Mira demanded through grit teeth.

"It was Tamaki." Kyoya said, he let out a grunt as Mira kneed him in the stomach. He bent over and went down on his knees, "What was  _that_  for?"

"For going along with it." Mira said as she walked out of the room, "Tamaki! Where the hell are you, you French-Japanese moron?"

* * *

Mira sat stubbornly on top of a very beaten and bruised Tamaki. "I can't believe you." She growled out, "All of you!" The host club flinched at her voice, "He comes up with this stupid idea, and you all just  _go along with it?_! Don't you have any sense of independence?"

"We're not in America, you know." The twins said, "Japan doesn't have the same 'independence' as you do."

"That doesn't answer my question." Mira said, glaring at the pair, "I asked you guys to keep quiet about this thing! I trusted you!"

"Come on, Mira-sempai," Haruhi began gently, walking towards her, "It won't be  _that_  bad."

"Easy for  _you_  to say, you don't have to dance!" Mira said, Haruhi flinched back to where she had been previously standing. Mira groaned and fisted her hands in her hair, " _Augh_! Why do  _I_  have to be the one stuck with you guys? Why couldn't it have been my sister? Why  _me_?"

"Because you're indebted to us." Kyoya said bluntly, "You have no say in the matter." Mira glared at him.

"I get to choose my partner." She said, if she was going to be forced to dance, she better damn well be able to pick the man who was going to put their hands on her body.

"Certainly." Kyoya agreed. Mira nodded once and stood up from her spot on Tamaki. She walked past the group of hosts, "Where do you think you're going?"

"For a walk." Mira said dully without looking at him, "I'll be back before club starts."

"As long as you're back by then." Kyoya said uncaringly, Mira didn't respond as she walked out of the room and down the hallway. She didn't know that Mori's eyes were following her concernedly as she left.

* * *

She walked down the hallways, her hands tucked into her pockets. She stared out the windows she passed by, staring at the blue sky. She felt so exhausted, she was so tired of the host club and of everything they did. She was tired of them putting themselves in her life, and she was tired of them poking their noses in places they don't belong. What she was the most tired of, though, was those costumes she was made to wear. She was so sick of it all! She wanted to leave, but her debt bound her to them, so she didn't have a choice. She hated being forced to do something by someone she hated.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps mimicking hers. She looked behind her and saw a boy was walking a few feet behind her. He had long bangs, and his head was bent over to hide his face. He walked quietly and silently, and she recognized him as one of Akira Yukio's goons from before.

She began to grow uneasy around him. Unless he had also randomly decided to take a walk like she had (Which she highly doubted) he was following her. She took a turn into another hallway and saw that he did the same. He  _was_  following her!

She looked to see she was about to pass two other boys, more of his goons. And they were giving her this look that she knew meant something was about to go down. She was about to go by one when he grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away, but he didn't let her go. In fact, his grip tightened on her and the other boy grabbed her other arm. She tried to wriggle free, but they didn't relent.

"What the hell? Let me go!" She told them. Dark smirks grew on their faces, and she heard a dark chuckle from the boy that had been following her. She tried to turn around to see his face, but she didn't have to as he walked around them to face her. "What's  _your_  problem, asshole?"

"The problem ain't mine, bitch." He said, "You see, a… Let's say,  _friend_ , of ours isn't too fond of you." He reached for something in his back pocket, "You've been spending a little too much time around a certain third year, and, well…" He chuckled, "We can't say this to their face, but they're actually pretty jealous of you." He pulled out a small something from his pocket, "And they want us to mark up that pretty face of yours." He pushed a button and a blade popped out. Mira began to struggle, trying to pull away. "Now just hold still and this shouldn't hurt too much."

Mira searched her mind for something,  _anything_ , that she could use to get out of this situation. But her mind came up blank. She could not think of a single thing to help herself, even though she had taken years of different styles of martial arts, and was a master boxer, she couldn't think of anything that would help her.

She watched him come closer with the knife, and she struggled even harder. She kicked the legs of the boys, but they did not fall. Instead, they actually put their feet over hers to stop her from kicking. The one with the knife didn't go directly for her face at first, he went for her shirt.

He stuck the edge of the blade against her neck in a tortuous manner as he carefully slid it down to her chest, where he quickly slashed at the skin above her heart. Mira cried out in pain, and squirmed even more. He did the same to the opposite side of her chest, and she cried out again as he ripped off the top of her shirt, letting some of her bare chest be shown.

"Help!" She cried, "Somebody! Help me!"

"Quick, shut her up!" One of the boys holding her hissed. The one on the opposite side of her clasped his hand over her mouth. She bit down on his skin.

"Please!"

"Goddammit! Bitch bit me!" He hissed as he pulled his hand away.

"Somebody!"

"I'll shut her up." The boy in front growled. He brought his fist up and punched her, leaving an unsightly bruise on her cheek. He grabbed her chin and made her look at him, "Keep your mouth shut." Mira spit in his eye.

"Help!" He punched her again, she felt her neck burning as she was punched again. And she could taste something coppery in her mouth. "Someone! Anyone!" He didn't punch her, instead he held the knife to her cheek and quickly pulled it down, leaving a slash. It was very painful, and stung like nothing Mira had ever felt before, she cursed, " _Sonofabitch!_ " There was a loud crack, and she felt the boy on her right side let her go. The boy on her other side instantly released her and she dropped to the floor. She looked to see someone tall standing in front of her, punching the boy who had cut her.

The three of them started to run off, but he grabbed one and shoved him against the wall. He punched him, and the boy crumpled to the ground. As soon as he was released, he ran off, following his friends. Mira looked up to see who had saved her and her eyes widened.

"Mori?" Mori's deep eyes looked down at her. They were soft, and full of concern. He kneeled down and carefully touched the scar on her cheek with his thumb. She winced and he pulled away.

"You're hurt." He said, Mira carefully rubbed her fingers across the inch and ½ long scar and came back with blood.

"I know." She said, she felt his hands on her shoulders as he looked down at her shirt, seeing how it had been torn, and seeing the tiny streams of blood that slowly seeped out. She looked at him to see his eyes ablaze in, what she had to guess, was fury. What she didn't know was, the fury was directed at the ones who did this to her, but she thought it was at her so she began babbling out an explanation, "I'm sorry! Look, they caught me off guard, and-and they just grabbed me. I-I got scared, a-and I just panicked, alright? I just freaked out, and didn't know what to do." She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I… I was scared, alright? I'm sorry…" She didn't meet his eyes, she couldn't. The first reason was: she didn't want anyone of the host club to see her cry. The second was: she was ashamed. She knew, and even bragged about all these great techniques she knew on how to defend herself, and she didn't use a single one of them to get herself free.

Mori heard her sniff when she looked away from him. He gently caressed her bruised cheek, and she looked up at him. He saw the tears in her eyes, and wiped them away with as much care as he could. She looked down again and squeaked out, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Mori said, he took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. This was obviously a surprise, but she welcomed it, pulling the jacket closer around her. He pulled her up to her feet, and was about to walk her to the infirmary, but noticed she hadn't moved. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him. There were still tears in her eyes, but she tried to ignore them.

"Mori… I know this… is gonna sound weird…" She mumbled, slowly turning her body to face his, "But… I… um…" She lightly gripped his shirt, "Could you… just… hold me for a second…?" Mori obliged and pulled her closer to him, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. She fanned her fingers out on his shirt, took in a deep breath, and let out a shaky one. Tears finally leaked their way out of her eyes, but she did not sob. They stayed that way for a few minutes, Mori's arms placed carefully and protectively around her, and Mira taking comfort in him, letting out some of the fear she had felt.

Eventually, she pulled away from him, wiping the remnants of tears away from her eyes. "Okay… I'm good. I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" Mori asked, Mira nodded in confirmation.

"I'll be okay." She assured him, Mori had a dubious look on his face and he put his arm around her shoulders and began leading her down the hall, "Where are we going?"

"The infirmary." Mori said, Mira nodded in understanding, she should probably get her cuts checked out before they got infected. She stared down and her open shirt, and sighed to herself, knowing she was going to get an _earful_  of lectures when she got home.


	19. Chapter 19 - An Investigation

19

The nurse sighed once she looked at Mira's cuts and her fresh bruise, "You seem to come in here a lot more often than the other students."

Mira chuckled nervously, "Well, I tend to get in a lot of trouble…"

"So I see…" The nurse muttered, she waved her over to a bed, "Alright, now let's see if I can't cover those up." She walked over to a drawer and began pulling out some gauze and different band aids. She also pulled out a few cotton balls and a bottle of disinfectant. She walked over to her and, after soaking the cotton ball in the disinfectant, began gently dabbing the cuts with it. Mira winced a little at the sudden sting, but she didn't complain. "You know, I'm starting to think you're one of those kids that just  _attracts_  trouble."

Mira shrugged, "Maybe I am."

"Hold still." The nurse ordered, putting a bandage over the cut on her cheek. Mira shut her mouth and stood still as the nurse began to tend to her other cuts on her chest. Mira looked over at Mori to see him standing a few feet away, completely silent. The nurse carefully put bandages over the cuts on her chest and moved away, "Well, you should be fine for now."

"Wait, that's it?" Mira asked in surprise, she thought the cuts would require a lot more attention.

"Those cuts aren't as bad as they look." The nurse said, "Just minor injuries, they should scab over before the end of the week."

"Oh." Mira said, gently poking the bandages, the nurse slapped her hand away.

"Don't touch them." She ordered, "And for pity's sake, stop coming in here! I don't want to waste every single band aid on you."

"Believe me, I don't plan on it." Mira said, getting off the bed and walking back over to Mori. He put his hand on her shoulder and began to escort her out of the room and back to the host club room. They walked through the hall in comfortable silence, Mira still wearing Mori's jacket over her shoulders. She looked up at him, and saw he was looking straight ahead of him. "Hey, um…" He looked down at her, "Thanks. You know, for… saving me back there." She looked down at the ground, "I freaked out and…" She stopped when Mori's arm pulled her just the tiniest bit closer. She blushed at the sudden increase of contact with Mori. "Um… Yeah, thanks…"

Mori looked down at her and saw her flushed face. He almost stopped altogether in surprise. She looked so cute! He smiled a little to himself, knowing that he was the one that made her blush.

* * *

" _M-MIRA-SEMPAI?_!" Tamaki stuttered in utter shock at Mira's beat up form. She was surrounded by the host club almost instantly.

"What happened to you?" The twins demanded.

"Are you okay, Mira-chan?" Honey asked concernedly.

Tamaki took Mira's face in his hands, "What happened to my precious daughter?"

"I NEED SPACE!" Mira shouted, making them back off. She let out a breath of air, " _Thank_  you."

"What happened?" Haruhi asked.

"I got ganged up on." Mira said, she fingered the bandage on her cheek and Mori moved her hand away from it.

"By who?" Kyoya asked, Mira shrugged.

"I don't know their names, but I did recognize a couple of them." She said, "I remembered them from when Yukio came and 'challenged' the kendo team to a fight. They were a few of his goons that came in with him." She let out a grunt when Tamaki latched himself onto her, crying dramatic tears.

"Oh, my poor, precious daughter!" He cooed, nuzzling his cheek with her hair, "How could someone hate someone so adorable so much?" An angry vein appeared on Mira's head and she pushed him away.

"I am  _not_  adorable!" She said with a huff, crossing her arms, "And I find it a tad insulting that you would think of me that way."

"This wouldn't be the same Akira Yukio who threatened you in the infirmary, would it?" Kyoya asked, Mira nodded.

"Yeah, same guy." She said, "Hey, listen. Seeing as I almost got the crap beat out of me, can I go home?"

"Of course." Kyoya said, Mira smiled at him.

"Thank you!" She said, before turning and walking away. She smiled at Mori as she left, and he smiled back.

* * *

"What. The. Fucking.  _HELL?_!" Alfonso said, looking at the bandages on his younger sister. Kenneth gaped at the sight of her, his hand over his mouth.

"Okay, now before you say anything!" Mira said, holding up her hands, "It's not as bad as it looks."

"It looks pretty damn bad!" Alfonso said, "What happened?"

"To make a long story short…" Mira began, "I  _kind of_  made a couple enemies at school."

"There is no 'kind of' when it comes to these things!" Alfonso snapped, "Either you have enemies or you don't! And clearly, you  _do_!"

"We're taking you out of that school." Kenneth said, Mira gaped at him. He turned and started walking away, "I'll go get the proper transfer papers."

"No!" Mira dashed over to him and grabbed his arm, catching both her brothers by surprise, "Don't take me out of Ouran!"

"Mirabella, you were  _attacked_." Kenneth said, "There's a chance this could happen again."

"I know, I know." Mira said, "But, it won't happen again. The guys who beat me up, they were in this… gang, I guess. Their boss hates my guts, and I plan to report him to the principle. Just… don't take me out of school. Please." Kenneth seemed to falter under her pleading gaze.

"You like the school  _that_  much?" He asked.

"Wait, I thought you hated it there?" Alfonso said, looking at her in confusion.

"No, I hate the  _club_  I'm in." She said, "I don't hate the  _school_. I really, really like the school."  _Even if it is full of pompous, spoiled brats._  She finished in her head.

"You sure?" Alfonso asked.

Mira nodded, "I don't want to leave." She said,  _It's not like I could leave if I wanted to. Knowing Kyoya, he'd find me and make me a maid again until I paid off my debt._  She inwardly shuddered.

"Hey, Al, is Mira home yet?" Isabella's voice called as she came down the stairs. She stopped when she saw her sister covered in bandages.

"Uh, hey Izzy." Mira said with an uneasy smile. Isabella just stared at her in silence. Then she did something no one expected her to do.

Her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell to the ground.

"Izzy!" Mira exclaimed, she and her brothers running over to her.

"What happened?" Alfonso asked, placing his fingers at her neck and checking her pulse.

"I think she just fainted." Kenneth said, he put his arms under hers and picked her up, "Grab her legs, we should put her on the couch." Alfonso nodded and picked up her legs and the both of them carried her over to the living room.

"That was the  _last_  reaction I expected." Mira muttered to herself as she followed them.

* * *

Akira Yukio let out a painful grunt as he was shoved into a chair by a pair of arms. He squinted when someone shined a light in his face.

"The hell…?" He muttered, trying to shadow his eyes with his hand. He looked around, realizing that the host club (Minus Mira) was surrounding him.

"Why did you do it?" Tamaki demanded, glaring at him.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific." Akira said.

"You sent your goons after Mira-sempai!" The twins accused, getting in his face.

"What?" Akira said. The twins backed off as a group of photographs were placed in front of his face.

"These are your underlings, aren't they?" Kyoya asked as Akira took the photos from him and looked over them. Each one was a different picture of one of the boys who attacked Mira the previous day. They had all been taken without them realizing it, so they had been talking to someone else, or eating a meal, or just walking around school. Akira smirked at the pictures.

"Keeping surveillance on them, huh?" He joked with a smirk, nobody laughed. Akira sighed and handed the pictures back. "Yeah, they're with me, so what?"

"So  _this_." Kyoya said, pulling out a picture of Mira in bandages, "This is your doing." Akira looked up at him in surprise, "As was this," He showed a picture of rocks falling on top of Mori as he shielded Mira, "And this," He showed a picture of Mira's busted up car, "And  _this_." He showed a picture of Mira being pushed back from Mori as a flower pot was falling onto her head.

Akira put his hands up in surrender, "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He said, "That wasn't me! I mean, yeah, I tried to dump the rocks on the bitch, and, yeah, I smashed her windows, but I didn't do this," He pointed to the spray paint on Mira's car, "And I sure as  _hell_  didn't do this or this." He pointed to the picture of the falling flower pot and the picture of Mira's bandages. "And those guys you were talking about?" He gestured to the pictures in Kyoya's hands, "They came to me the other day, bragging about this  _huge_  score they made. 20,000 yen a piece." He slumped back in the chair, "I didn't do half the stuff that happened to the bitch." He shrugged, "Whoever did all that wasn't me. You got the wrong guy."

* * *

"Kazuma, please!" Mira begged, walking after him, "I need you to do this for me!"

"Marino, I have enough stuff to do as it is." Kazuma said as he stretched his legs in a community theater with other performers, "My sister's opening night is in a few weeks, and I still need to help her with her lines. On top of that, I'm still working on my English Literature paper, which is due by Thursday, may I remind you." Mira rolled her eyes at his snobby tone, "The competition's preliminaries are next month, and I can't afford to have anything else on my plate,  _especially_  performing an entirely new routine."

"It won't be a new routine!" Mira said, "We'll just do the routine we plan to do for the competition, only with an audience!" Kazuma rolled his eyes as he stood up straight, giving her a dry look, "Please? I don't have anyone else to perform with, and it would be really, really awkward if I tried."

Kazuma sighed, and ran his fingers through his spiky black hair, "Where and when?"

"At Ouran Academy, at six o' clock on Friday." Mira said, "That's enough time for you to get your paper turned in, and still work on the preliminaries and help your sister with her play." Kazuma sighed, looking away, "Please, Kazuma? I swear, I'll never ask you for another favor again."

"Okay, we  _both_  know that's a lie." Kazuma said, Mira groaned.

"Could you just go along with it?" She asked, "I don't have anyone else to practice with.  _Please_. I will get down on my knees and beg if I have to." As a quick afterthought, she added, "But don't make me."

"You need a dance partner that badly?" Kazuma asked, Mira nodded her head, Kazuma shrugged, "Okay."

"You'll do it?" Mira asked happily.

"It'll be practice for the competition, I suppose." He said, he smiled down at her, "I'll do it."

Mira jumped up and hugged him, "Thank you, thank you,  _thank you_ , Kazuma! You have no idea what this means for me!" She squeezed him tight, and ran off, "I'll e-mail you the address for the school!" She called over her shoulder as she ran out of Gekijo's theater. Kazuma smiled as he sighed, shaking his head at her.

"That girl's changed." He muttered to himself, "I don't know what did it, but she's changed."

* * *

"It wasn't Yukio?" Mira asked in surprise.

"He insisted it wasn't his doing." Kyoya said, "Which means that a good portion of everything that's happened to you was someone else's fault."

"Like who?" Mira asked.

"If I knew I would tell you." Kyoya said with a shrug, "But we will need to keep a closer eye on you."

"Why?" Mira demanded, clearly upset at the notion.

"We never know when this person could strike again." Kyoya said, "It's best we keep you under constant surveillance."

"You can't seriously expect the rest of the host club to go along with this!" Mira said, "If it's constant surveillance that means someone's going to need to watch me when I sleep!"

"The club will only be on duty during the day at school." Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up his nose, "Otherwise, my family's private police will be keeping watch."

"Since when do you have a private police force?" Mira demanded.

"Since a while ago." Kyoya replied dryly, a smirk on his face. Mira glared at him.

"You…" She growled, "You…  _Slimy_  little-"

"Don't finish that sentence." Kyoya said, Mira shut her mouth, "We need to figure out who is the one really doing this." Kyoya put his hand to his chin in thought, "Did those boys say anything about who might have done this?"

"Only that whoever this person is, they were doing it out of jealousy." Mira said with a shrug, "Something about hanging around the wrong third years or something."

"Third years?" Kyoya questioned, "Like who?"

"Well, the only third years I hang out with are Mori and Honey." Mira said, "Do you think that person could be a fan of theirs?"

"Try stalker." Kyoya muttered, "I'm going to check over their fanbase to see if there's anyone who obsesses over them enough to do something like this."

"Why Kyoya Ootori!" Mira exclaimed with a grin, "Are you actually showing compassion towards me?" Kyoya scowled.

"Don't get used to it." He said, he turned around and walked away, "I'm only doing this so the host club's best investment won't disappear."

"Of course." Mira muttered, turning and walking to her own class.

* * *

" **O-kay!** " Tamaki cried out in English, he, and all the other members of the host club, were dressed in baseball uniforms and outside with their customers with them, "Welcome to the host club's first ever baseball day!" He nearly fell over when a pom-pom hit the back of his head.

" _Why the hell am I dressed as a cheerleader?_!" Mira demanded, a furious blush blooming across her face. She was dressed in a two-piece set that showed her stomach, with a skirt that stopped just below her underwear, and a top that dipped down a little too far for her liking. She didn't see all of her male customers suddenly covering their noses, hiding their nosebleeds.

"Every sport needs cheerleaders, Mira-sempai…" Tamaki reasoned, rubbing the spot she hit.

" _Do I look like I give a damn?_!" Mira asked angrily, she turned around briskly, her panties flashing for a brief second. More blood spurted out of her customer's noses without her realizing it, "I'm going to change!" As she walked past Mori, she saw he was covering his own nose, she raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "You okay, Mori?" He nodded his head and she shrugged, walking past him. When she was gone, he quickly wiped away his nosebleed.

* * *

"All right!" Hikaru said, coming up to the first base he and the others had prepared for the day. He held out the bat with a determined look on his face. Mori stood behind him as the catcher, and Honey stood behind him as the umpire, "This is going to be the first home-run of the day!" Mira, who stood at the pitcher's mound, rolled her eyes.

"You wish!" Mira said, patting her glove with the ball. She grinned widely with confidence, "You're gonna be the first strike-out of the day!"

"Hah!" Hikaru scoffed, "No way am I gonna get a strike-out from a  _girl_!" That struck a nerve. Mira tensed and narrowed her eyes at the redhead, still wearing that confident grin.

"Oh, you should  _not_  have said that." She growled, "You just turned this into a  _battle of the sexes_!" She pulled her arm back and threw the ball and Hikaru swung the bat. The ball went straight into Mori's glove.

"Strike one!" Honey called out, holding up his index finger. It was the only thing seen over Mori's crouched form. Hikaru gaped at the baseball as Mori threw it back to Mira.

"That was just luck!" Hikaru said, getting ready to swing again. Mira rolled her eyes and tossed the ball in the air confidently.

" _Sure_  it was." Mira said. Hikaru scowled at her smug tone. She pulled her arm back, and instead of a normal throw, she threw a screwball. Hikaru swung at it, but he couldn't hit it.

"That's strike two!" Honey said, popping up from behind his large cousin, holding up two fingers. Hikaru's scowl deepened.

"Okay…" He growled, tapping the bat against his cleat. He pointed to the sky behind Mira, "The next one's going out of the park!" Mira smirked deviously.

"We'll see about that." She said, she pulled her arm back and threw a speedball, Hikaru swung, but missed, and it ended up in Mori's glove.

"That's strike three!" Honey said, jumping up on his cousin's shoulders, holding three fingers in the air. He pointed his index finger at Hikaru, "You're  _out_ , Hika-chan!"

"Son of a…" Hikaru gaped at Mira.

"Didn't my sister ever tell you?" She asked, a fake innocent look on her face, "I played two years of softball for my school team."

"Wha-!" Hikaru's jaw dropped.

Mira smirked victoriously at him, before sticking her tongue out and making the 'peace' sign.

"Girls rule."

* * *

"Mirabella-sempai, you did awesome!" A member of Mira's fanclub cheered as they crowded around her.

"Yeah, you totally showed Hikaru who's boss!" Another girl cheered. Mira smiled sheepishly, still not used to so much attention.

"Girls  _so_  rule!" A third girl shouted, punching her fist in the air. Cheers of agreement went through the group.

"Well, at least you're all embracing feminism…" Mira muttered, looking unsurely at her fans. She could have thanked Kyoya for pulling her away at that moment.

"I'm sorry ladies," Kyoya said, stepping where she had stood previously, "But baseball day is over. Come back tomorrow to speak to Mira-sempai." The girls let out a round of groans, but consented to what he said. Except for one, who came up to him with an envelope with Mira's name written on it in Japanese. Mira recognized her as the president of her fanclub, Ayame.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Kyoya-san." Ayame said, "But a strange girl asked me to give Mirabella-sempai this letter." She handed it to him and he nodded.

"Thank you, Ayame-san." He said, "I'll be sure to give it to her." Ayame nodded with a smile and skipped back to the rest of the fanclub. Kyoya frowned at the letter and walked over to Mira. He showed her the letter, but didn't hand it to her. "Your president said a strange girl wanted you to have this."

"You think it's another hate letter?" Mira asked, reaching for it, but Kyoya pulled it away.

"Yes, which is why  _I'm_  going to open it instead of you." Kyoya said, "If you get any more cuts, it wouldn't be good for your customer numbers." Mira rolled her eyes as she watched him open the envelope and pull out the letter. A couple razorblades fell out of it and hit the ground. The 'ink' that had been used to write the letter bled through the paper, but it certainly didn't look like ink. It had dripped in a few places and read only four words.

_Go die, you bitch._

"This doesn't look like ink." Mira said, staring at the red stains all over the paper, "You don't think it's…"

"Blood?" Kyoya asked, looking at the letter, "It just might be."

"From the person who wrote it?" Mira asked, Kyoya shook his head.

"I doubt it. It's probably animal blood." Kyoya said, he carefully folded the letter and pocketed it, "I'll test it just to be sure." Mira nodded.

"Okay." She said, she sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm really starting to get tired of this whole 'stalker-hater' business."


	20. Chapter 20 - One Dream can Change so Much

20

"Thanks again for driving me home, guys." Mira said, smiling at Honey and Mori, "Usually, I'd drive myself home, but my brothers hid the keys to my car." She scowled a little, remembering how once her car was out of the auto shop, they had snatched the keys from her and said that they were only going to let her drive if they were in the car with her. She still hadn't found out where they had put them.

"It's okay, Mira-chan!" Honey chirped, "It was our pleasure." He turned to his cousin, "Right, Takashi?" Mori nodded in response. Mira smiled at him.

"I'll see you both tomorrow then." She said. She turned around and walked up the driveway, not realizing that Mori's dark eyes followed her gently swinging behind.

"Driver, take us home, please." Honey called to the chauffer, who did so just as Mira's figure disappeared behind her front door.

* * *

Mori let out a long breath as he walked into his bedroom, running a hand through his hair. Today had been a longer day than he realized, especially when he had seen Mira. His cheeks heated slightly when he thought of her in that skimpy cheerleader uniform. He quickly pushed his blush back down and shook the thought from his head as he walked to his bed and sat down. He put his hand over his chest when his heart began to pound.

Why was he so insanely attracted to her? She was only a strong, beautiful, smart, interesting girl his age from another country. He'd met girls like that before, hadn't he? Well, maybe not ones that were strong enough to take him down in kendo, as well as any other member of the team. Or ones that were beautifully elegant when they could throw a punch. Or ones that looked so amazingly hot in that one maid's outfit with the tiny skirt…

He flinched when he realized his pants had grown far too tight for his liking. He groaned when he looked down and saw an erection had formed in his boxers. He sighed to himself and lay down on his bed and turned off the light. He tried to focus on anything but Mira as he tried to get to sleep, but his thoughts couldn't help but wander…

He imagined her face flushed, the top half of her body unclothed, and covered in a sheet of sweat. Panting, her eyes filled with a lusty stare, moaning in need for  _him_. The thoughts quickly disappeared and he shook his head to completely rid himself of them. Not only was Mira his teammate, but she most definitely didn't think of him that way. He sighed to himself as he pulled the sheets closer around his body, falling asleep.

* * *

_Mori opened his eyes to see he was no longer in his room, he was in a different bedroom, and he was lying on the bed. Naked. He heard a giggle and looked to see where it had come from. He felt heat rush to his face as he saw Mira standing against the doorframe, wearing a see-through nightgown with a tiny black bra, and matching panties. She walked over to him, her hips swaying as she did. Mori felt himself get harder with every step she took._

_She stopped in front of him and placed her soft hands on his shoulders. She said nothing as she kissed him. It was chaste at first, and he enjoyed it, but it turned into something more as her tongue slid past his lips. She gently pushed away from him and stood back up._

_He watched, entranced, as she did a strip tease for him. Sliding the nightgown off her body so slowly, it was almost torturing. When she had it off, she threw it to the side and moved her hands to her back and unclipped her bra. She let her hands fall to her sides, and Mori gulped when he saw the fullness of her breasts. She hooked her fingers in the panties she wore, smiling coyly at him as she slowly swiveled her hips and pulled it down at the same time. When the garment finally left her body, she knelt down in between his legs and began touching his penis. The skin on her hands was so soft._

_He lolled his head back and groaned as she began to rub him in various places. She began toying with his ball sac and he felt something wet touch the head of his penis. He looked to see she was sucking on him, and suddenly, she began to lick him from his head all the way to the base. He groaned and bucked his hips in approval when she took his entire head in his mouth and continuing to take him in as much as she could. He could feel her throat as she bobbed her head up and down. Never in all his life had he imagined getting a blowjob like this._

_He was just about to hit his peak when she stopped. She grinned as she straddled him, placing the tip at her entrance. She gently pushed him down onto her sheets as she began to take him in. Inch by inch, he felt more and more of her warm insides, and was pleased when he heard her pleasured moan as she finally came to the end. He looked to see her face flushed, eyes clouded in lust, and he couldn't take it._

_He quickly flipped them over so he was on top, and took a small thrust in her. She gasped and let out a breath that had a moan mixed into it. He thrust again, larger this time, and relished in the way she squeaked in surprise. Her expression suddenly turned to one of embarrassment as he leaned closer to her, still thrusting. Her expression was the cute face she had made when he had complimented her on her bikini. Her eyes looking away, and a blush on her fair skinned cheeks. He kept hearing her sighs and moans as he continued, his eyes seeming to never leave her face. He was just about to come when he heard her moan out his name, "Oh,_ Takashi! _"_

* * *

Mori awoke to the sound of his alarm clock, and he quickly shut it off. He sat up in bed, his feet over the side, and he placed his head in his hands. That had not only been the hottest dream he had ever had, but the most vivid one he had ever experienced. He looked down to see he had an erection standing upright as it never had before, probably from the dream, and it was painful just to  _look_  at.

He quickly worked it off before he got out of bed, hiding the remains in a tissue and throwing it away. As he put on his uniform, a thought occurred to him. He didn't want to admit it, not out loud anyway, but he desperately wanted that dream to come true.

He could never look at Mirabella Marino the same way ever again.

* * *

"Good morning, Mori." Mira greeted as she walked into the class room. Mori looked away and grunted. Honey looked at his cousin in confusion at the greeting he gave in return, and Mira quirked a curious eyebrow. "Hey, are you okay?" Mori nodded once, still looking away from her. Mira's face took on a doubtful look and she leaned closer to him, seeing his cheeks had flushed slightly. "Do you have a fever or something?" She put her hand on his forehead to check his temperature, and Mori's flush deepened slightly. He moved her hand away from him, much to her surprise.

"I'm fine." He said. Mira still looked doubtful, but he ignored her as best he could. After that dream, he couldn't possibly look her straight in the face without being reminded of it. The fact that she was touching him only made him focus on how soft her skin was. He almost jumped out of his skin when Mira's face appeared in front of his, a doubting look on her face.

He turned away from her, and she frowned. She stepped in front of his face again, and he turned away again. Mira scowled and kept stepping into his line of sight, only to have him turn away each time. Mira, becoming frustrated, put her hands on either side of his cheeks and made her face him.

"Hey, what's your problem?" She demanded, "Why won't you look straight at me?" Mori stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, staring into her green ones. Then he quickly scrambled up, making Mira release his face and have his chair fall over. It made a good deal of noise, causing everyone to look over at him in shocked silence. Mira looked up at him in surprise when he just stood still, his hands on his desk. She didn't say anything to him, and the class was completely silent, waiting for his reaction.

He moved away from his desk and walked away from his desk, heading towards the hallway.

"M-Mori…?" Mira said quietly as she watched him walk away. Honey looked after him concernedly as he kept walking.

Once he was gone, chatter quickly filled the classroom again, as if nothing had happened. Mira stared after him in concern, but didn't go after him. She decided it would be best to leave him to sort his problems on his own, and if they were with her, she didn't want to make them any worse.

Honey disagreed, and went after his silent cousin.

He found him standing in an empty hall, looking out one of the windows that showed the school's courtyard. He stared at the world outside the window, his hands in his pockets, and an intense look in his eyes.

"Takashi?" Honey asked quietly, Mori didn't respond, "Are you feeling okay?" Mori still didn't respond. Honey walked up next to him, "You acted really weird around Mira-chan. Is something wrong?" Mori glanced at him and Honey looked back, "Did Mira-chan do something wrong?" Mori shook his head, and Honey let out a thoughtful hum, "Did Mira-chan say something to you?" Mori shook his head again.

"No." He grunted out. Honey let out another thoughtful hum.

"Takashi, do you like Mira-chan?" Honey asked suddenly, Mori whirled toward his cousin with wide eyes. Honey looked up at him innocently, waiting for his response. Mori looked away from him, his cheeks flushing slightly. He nodded once, and Honey smiled, "I thought so."

* * *

"Hey, thanks again for coming." Mira said as Kazuma walked into the third music room.

"Yeah, whatever." He said, adjusting the strap of his bag, "So, where are we practicing?"

"Um, right here." Mira said, gesturing to the room, which had the members of the host club with their dancing partners. Tamaki originally had wanted Haruhi for a partner, but since she was a judge, she couldn't dance, so he had picked one of his customers that was very talented in the ways of dancing. She was elegant in every way, even her name, Anika, was elegant. Hikaru and Kaoru had picked a pair of twin girls as each of their partners, the older one was named Ai, and the younger was named Aoi. They were both half-Japanese, their father was from Costa Rica. Kyoya's partner was a friend of his sister's, who had won seven dancing awards since middle school. Mori's partner was a customer of Honey's who said she would have been happy to dance with Mori in the competition, "The waltz is the easiest to learn, after all!" she had said.

"So, what is this for again?" Kazuma asked.

"A stupid dance contest  _they_  cooked up." Mira said, sending a dark look towards Tamaki and Kyoya. Kazuma shrugged uncaringly.

"Okay." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out an iPod and held out one of the earphones, "Here, I have the song we're supposed to dance to."

"Hang on." Mira said, she turned around, "Hey, Kyoya!" He looked up from where he was dancing with his partner, "Can Kazuma and I practice in a different room? We need space to move around."

"Of course." Kyoya said, he pointed to the back room, "The walls aren't soundproof, but you can use that." Mira nodded and walked in the direction of it, picking up a radio that was iPod compatible from her things. Once they were in the room, they shut the door behind them so as not to disturb anyone else's practice. Mira went over to Kazuma and took the iPod from his hands and plugged it in to the radio, setting it on 'repeat.'

As the music began to play, she and Kazuma followed out the moves they had planned as perfectly as they could. They practiced out every step, twirl, toss, and trick that they could do in the space of the room in accordance with the music.

* * *

_30 minutes later…_

"Okay, I think that's enough." Mira said as she and Kazuma finished their dance for the eleventh time in a row. She was used to Kazuma's strict discipline about dance practice, so the many repeats of the song weren't much for her. Kazuma took her off his shoulder and put her down on the floor.

"So, how long have you been at this club?" Kazuma asked as he picked up a bottle of water and began drinking.

Mira sighed, "Longer than I would have liked." She yanked the iPod from the radio and tossed it at him, and he caught it easily.

"Oh, what, daddy force you into it?" Kazuma asked teasingly, Mira shot him a dirty look, and he shut his mouth.

"No, I broke a 750,000 yen tea set." Mira said, "I'm indebted to them, and if I get enough customers, I should be able to pay that off."

"Just like that?" Kazuma asked, Mira nodded. He hummed thoughtfully, "Seems a little too easy to me."

"All my customers are men, just so you know." Mira said, "Female customers don't count."

"And there's no catch to this in any way?" Kazuma asked, Mira scowled.

"No, there's a catch…" She grumbled, "I have to wear the stupid costumes they come up with for me to wear. And they're always so freaking skimpy!" Kazuma watched in vague surprise as he saw her begin to rant, "I swear to God, all Kyoya wants is for my customers to look at me and think 'Oh, I could hit that'! I always feel like a freaking skank! And the twins only make matters worse, because they're always screwing with me! They always do my hair so I look all sexy and stuff, and it's just insanity! And the  _president_  of this club, oh, don't get me  _started_! The guy's an imbecile! His IQ number is the average of that of a sea cucumber! Thank God for Haruhi, though, the only normal one out of the bunch. Well, except for, maybe, Mori, but that's another issue altogether. And- Wha-? Are you  _laughing?_!"

Kazuma  _was_  laughing, "I'm sorry!" He chuckled out, "It's just… It's funny!" Mira blushed angrily, "I've been wondering what it was all this time, and now I know." He shook his head with a smile.

"What  _what_  was?" Mira asked.

"What made you different." Kazuma said as he picked up his duffle bag, "You know, you've become a lot… Oh, what's the word? Lax? No, no, not lax… Um…" He thought about it for a minute, "Nicer! That's it! You've become a lot  _nicer_." Mira threw her water bottle at him and he ducked.

"I am  _not_  nice!" Mira shouted, Kazuma laughed and walked out.

" _Sure_  you're not." He said over his shoulder.

"I'm gonna hit you!" Mira threatened. Kazuma laughed and ducked as Mira threw her water bottle at him again. The water bottle kept flying and hit Tamaki in the back of the head, making him fall over.

"Tamaki-sama!" Anika exclaimed worriedly.

"See you, Marino!" Kazuma said as he walked out.

"You better hope  _not_!" Mira called after him, Kazuma only laughed as he walked out. She scowled and went back to gather up her things. As she walked out, she saw Tamaki lying on the ground, face down, "Tamaki, get your lazy butt up." He didn't respond. Mira rolled her eyes and walked past him.

"Ah, Mira-sempai," Kyoya called, stepping away from his partner and walking over to her, he handed her an envelope and spoke in a low voice, "I tested that 'blood' from the letter. You're not going to believe what I found." Mira took the letter and opened it, "At first, we saw it was just avian blood."

"Bird blood?" Mira asked, Kyoya nodded, "Is that the thing I'm not supposed to believe?"

"No, it's the type of bird." Kyoya said grimly, "I'm not sure how this person got their hands on it, but," Mira looked up at him curiously, "It's blood from the bald eagle."

"You're kidding." Mira said. Kyoya shook his head.

"I'm afraid not." Kyoya said, "Isn't the bald eagle the patriotic bird of your country?"

"Yeah." Mira scowled, looking over the results, "Whoever did this doesn't like Americans."

"Or just wanted to insult you." Kyoya offered, "Either way, I think this person is starting to get serious about getting rid of you."

* * *

Mira stepped into the limo with Mori, who offered to drive her home again. Mira looked around the car and she saw they were the only two inside it other than Mori's chauffer.

"Where's Honey?" Mira asked, looking up at him.

"Went home." Mori said.

"Oh." Mira said shortly. Mori gave the chauffer the address and he drove off. The two teens sat in silence during the drive, neither of them sure what to say to the other. "Um, listen…" Mori looked over at her, "About earlier… If I did something to upset you…"

"No." Mori said, Mira looked up at him in surprise, "You didn't do anything."

"Oh, then…" Mira said, "Why did you act the way you did?" Mori looked away, covering his mouth. His face flushing as he remembered the dream.

"…" He couldn't speak, explaining it would take more courage than he could muster. When he didn't reply, Mira sighed and leaned back against the seat.

"I should have known." She muttered, Mori looked at her in surprise. How could she have known about his dream? "You don't want to be around me, do you?" Mori looked at her in confusion, "Kyoya told you, didn't he? About the letters?" Mori's face turned more serious, "He thinks the stalker is going after me because I hang out with you or Honey. He's been checking out which girl would be a potential nutcase, and he's told me to stay away from you guys for a while." She looked away, a light pink on her cheeks, "But, the truth is, I don't really want to stop hanging out with you guys… It's nice to hang around you and your cousin. Honey's really sweet, and you're a really good guy… You're good company…" She let out a tiny squeak of surprise when Mori's arm went around her shoulder and hugged her to him. She blushed a deep shade of red. "M-Mori?"

"I'm glad." He said quietly. Mira looked up and saw his cheeks had turned slightly pink, but he didn't look at her, instead he looked out the window. Mira's entire face felt like it was burning with a blush when Mori's hand gently rubbed her arm, "You'll be fine."

"…O-Okay…" Mira said quietly, she barely heard herself when she spoke. She thought her face was going to burn right off her head because of Mori's arm around her, but she made no move to get away from him. When she saw her home coming into view, she both thanked the powers of the universe, and cursed her terrible luck. "Well… w-we're here…" Mori didn't do anything, "You can let go of me now." He moved his arm away from her shoulders and let her step out of the car. "I'll see you tomorrow." Mori nodded, giving her a small smile, "Thanks for driving me home again." Mori nodded again. Mira nodded back awkwardly, a tiny smile on her own face. "Okay… bye."

"Goodbye." Mori said. Mira gave a small wave and walked back to her home, Mori still looking after her gently swaying hips. Once she had gone inside, Mori directed the chauffer to drive him home.


	21. Chapter 21

21

_One week later…_

" _Tomorrow~_!" Tamaki sang out, skipping next to Mira and Haruhi as they walked through the halls, both of them getting increasingly annoyed with the blonde, "Tomorrow, tomorrow! The ball is  _tomoroooow~_!"

"We  _know_!" Mira growled in aggravation, "Could you just shut up about it for  _five seconds?_!" Tamaki pouted, but complied. Mira sighed in relief, "Thank you." She looked over at Haruhi, "By the way," Haruhi looked over at her, "What are you judging the dances on? Presentation? Style?"

"Pretty much both." Haruhi admitted with a shrug, "We're just judging on how well the person followed through with their dance style and how good they are at it. If they get a good reaction from the audience, they get extra points."

"Oh, yeah?" Haruhi nodded in confirmation.

"Why do you ask?" Haruhi asked, Mira shrugged.

"Kazuma wanted to know." She said, "Although, I don't think we can really change the routine at this point." Haruhi nodded.

"Today's the last practice, right?" She asked, Mira nodded, "Well, I can't wait to see how you guys do."

"That kind of depends on you, doesn't it?" Mira asked with a smirk, "Aren't you one of the judges?"

"Oh! I am, aren't I?" Haruhi said, she smiled sheepishly, "I guess I forgot." Mira smiled.

"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us." She said, "By the way, I'm coming over tonight."

"You are?" Haruhi asked, "Why?"  
"I have a trigonometry test tomorrow." Mira said, "And I really would like your help studying." This seemed to catch Tamaki's attention.

"Mira-sempai," He said, sticking his head between the two girls' shoulders, "How often do you go to Haruhi's house?"

"Um, about twice a week." Mira said, looking at him curiously, "Why?" Tamaki turned to Haruhi, dramatic tears falling out of his eyes.

" _Haruhiiii_!" He whined, "How come she gets to come over so often but daddy doesn't get to?"

"Because if my  _real_  dad saw you, he'd kill you." Haruhi said bluntly, Mira let a small laugh burst out of her throat, but she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, snickering behind it. Tamaki pouted angrily at her.

"It's not funny, Mira-sempai!" He whined, Mira rolled her eyes, "It's not fair, either!"

"You know, we Americans have a saying back in New York," Mira said, "' _Life_ 's not fair.' Tough luck."

"Mira-sempai, you're so mean!" Tamaki whined, Mira and Haruhi rolled their eyes at the same time.

"Once again, tough luck." Mira said, she and Haruhi walked a little bit faster than the blonde, and he noticed this.

"Hey, wait for  _daddyyyy_!" He whined, running after them.

"You're  _not_  our father!" Mira and Haruhi cried at the same time.

* * *

"Head!" Takahiro shouted as he brought his sword down. He landed a solid hit and Mira fell on her butt, "Ack!" He took off his helmet and went over to her, "I'm so sorry, Marino-sempai! Are you hurt?" He held out his hand to her and she took it.

"Are you kidding?" Mira asked as he pulled her up, "That was exactly what I wanted to see! Do it again!" She held out her  _shinai_ , and Takahiro mimicked her, putting his helmet back on again. He performed the same move he had previously and he hit her again, but this time she only stumbled instead of falling, "Yes! You're really improving, Takahiro." He smiled underneath his helmet, happy for the praise.

They both heard the school clock chime, signaling that kendo practice was over. Mira took her helmet off and smiled at her team member, "Maybe one of these days, you'll actually beat me."

"Oh, I know I will." Takahiro said with mock arrogance.

"Oh yeah?" Mira asked, she reached over and mussed his hair, "I'd like to see you try!"

"I will!" Takahiro insisted with a grin, Mira smiled at him.

"I know you will." She said. They both walked over to the showers and Mira went to the one where she found Honey waiting to guard her as she took a shower, but Mori had disappeared, "Where's Mori?" Honey shrugged. Mira shrugged back, certain that whatever Mori was doing, he could handle himself.

* * *

"Why do we have to match?" Mira asked Kazuma as he dragged her through the mall to a specific shop where he had placed an order for matching dancing outfits.

"Because it shows that were partners." He said, "They're a decent color, and I think it would be fun to flaunt a little at that fancy-pants school of yours."

"Flaunting is the very  _last_  thing I want to do." Mira said, "Look, I already told you that I have a dress at home that's nice and 'flowing' as you would put it." Kazuma shot her a dry look, but she continued, "I don't see why I have to waste my money on a dress I'm never going to wear again."

"You'll wear it at the actual competition." Kazuma said.

"Besides that." Mira said. Kazuma shrugged.

"I don't know." He said, "But I'm sure we'll find some occasion. And you're not the one paying for it, by the way." Mira quirked a curious eyebrow.

" _You're_  paying for it?" She asked in shock. Kazuma scoffed.

"Please, you think I would waste all my cash on  _you_?" He asked, Mira scowled at his tone, but said nothing, "It was my mom's idea. She said it would make it more fun. She's the one who's got the credit card, not me." He held up a blue and white plastic card that read the name of a bank Mira had never heard of.

"Wait, Kazuma, how old are you?" She asked.

"Twenty." Kazuma replied.

"You're  _twenty_  and you still live with your parents?" Mira asked with a grin, "And they don't trust you with a credit card?" Kazuma's face flushed slightly and he pulled her along.

"Just shut up and walk." He muttered, Mira laughed aloud, "Be quiet! Don't your twenty four-year-old brothers still live with  _your_  dad?"

"Yeah, but they work for him!" Mira laughed, Kazuma scowled, face flushing even more and he pushed her in front of him and into a store. Mira was still giggling as he walked up to one of the store's employees at a counter, "Excuse me, I'm here to pick up my order. It's under the name Itsuki."

"One moment, sir." The woman said, she typed something into her computer and scrolled down the page before she found what she was looking for and smiled friendly at him. "We have your order ready for you, Mr. Itsuki. This way, please." She led them over to a dressing room, "Wait here, please." She left them alone for a moment before returning with a pair of costumes made from the same material.

"Oh, no way…" Mira groaned, looking at them. Mira gave him a dry look, "I'm not wearing this."

"Try it on, first, then decide whether you'll wear it or not." Kazuma said as he turned around and walked into a dressing room. Mira rolled her eyes and walked into the one next to his. She pulled the dress off the hanger and saw that it was made of silk. She took off her clothes and tried it on and was surprised that it was actually her size. She looked over herself in the mirror and was vaguely pleased at how she looked. The silk material made her feel a little glamorous, and the colors went together very well. "Hey, Marino, you dressed?"

"Yeah." Mira said, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles in the dress.

"Come out here and let me see it." Mira adjusted her strap and stepped out. Kazuma was already out in his suit, which looked very good on him. He grinned at her. "Well, I didn't think it was possible Marino, but you actually look like a lady." She punched him in the shoulder angrily, "Ouch! I was just kidding!"

"I know." Mira said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Then what'd you punch me for?" Kazuma demanded.

"Because I hate your guts." Mira said with an evil grin, Kazuma glared at her.

"You bitch." Mira raised her fist to hit him again, and Kazuma raised his arms to defend himself, "Not the face!"

"Mira-sempai?" Mira paused in her punch and looked to see Haruhi had come into the store.

"Haruhi!" Mira exclaimed in surprise. Kazuma moved his hands away when he realized she wasn't going to hit him. "What are you doing here? You're the last person I'd expect to see in a formal wear store." She quickly swung her fist over into Kazuma's stomach, making him hunch over in pain.

" _Ooh_ … You deceptive bitch." Kazuma groaned, Mira looked over at him.

"Hey, I could've aimed lower." She said, Kazuma glared up at her from his hunched position.

"Actually, I'm not the one shopping here." Haruhi said.

"Then who is?" Mira asked.

"Is that your voice, Mirabella-chan?" Mira looked over when she saw Ranka coming over, "It  _is_  you!  _Oh~_! And you look so  _cute~_!"

"Ranka-san!" Mira exclaimed, "I didn't know you shopped here." Kazuma looked up and nearly jumped at the sight of Haruhi's father.

"You  _know_  these people?" He asked, looking at the two.

"Yeah, Haruhi goes to my school, and Ranka's her, um…" She paused, unsure of how to categorize him, "Parent." Ranka smiled at Kazuma, "Ranka-san, this is Kazuma, my dance partner."

"I didn't know you danced, Mirabella-chan!" Ranka cooed, "Is this the dress you're going to wear?"

"Um, actually I was going to wear something from home…" Mira said.

"Oh, but  _why_?" Ranka whined with a pout, "You look so cute. Oh, and you know," He took her face in his hands, "I have this new make-up that I bought that would be  _perfect_  for you! It's supposed to highlight your specific eye color so it really pops! And it would  _so_  go with that outfit!"

"Um…" Mira pulled Ranka's hands away from her face, "I really think I would be better off if I just wore the dress from home…"

" _Ohh_! But that's such a  _waste_!" Ranka pouted, "Your figure is accentuated so well in that dress! It would be a horrible waste not to wear it."

"Dad, she can make her own decisions." Haruhi said, "She doesn't have to wear the dress, or have you do her make-up."

"But Haruhi!" Ranka whined.

"See that, Marino?" Kazuma said, standing up straight, recovering from the hit, "He- er… She- uh…" He paused, looking over Haruhi's father, "Um,  _they_  think you look good in the dress." He gestured to both Haruhi and her father, "Why don't you wear it?"

"Okay," Mira said, turning to him, "You are pushing this  _way_  more than any straight man would." Kazuma scowled, "Was this  _really_  your mom's idea?"

" _Yes_ , it was my mother's idea!" Kazuma said, sounding offended, "Now, are you gonna wear the thing or not?" Mira looked at him for a minute, then sighed.

"I guess you would feel pretty stupid walking out there in that tux with me in some other outfit." Mira said, "I'll wear the dress."

"Good." Kazuma said, he walked over to the employee to tell her they'd like to buy the outfits.

Mira let out a yelp of surprise when Ranka's arms encased themselves around her, "Oh, Mirabella-chan! I'm so glad you're opening up your feminine side!" He pulled away from Mira and held onto her shoulders, "You  _have_ to let me do your hair!"

"Uh, well, actually-" Mira tried to explain that she planned to have her sister do her hair because it would be easiest, but Ranka didn't seem to care.

"No, no, no! I won't hear of it!" He said, "You come to our home an hour before this little event, and I'll do your hair and your make-up. Okay?" It was very hard to say no to that smile.

Mira sighed, "Alright." Ranka squealed girlishly, making Mira's eyes go wide.  _I didn't think it was possible for a man to squeal…_

"Oh, good!" He said, clapping his hands, "Now, when can we expect you?"

"Um… Six-ish?" Mira offered, Ranka nodded.

"Six it is!" He declared, "See you then, Mirabella- _chwan~_!" He blew her a kiss before he grabbed Haruhi's hand and walked out of the store. Mira turned back to the dressing room the change back into her clothes.

* * *

_The next day…_ (A/N: Or, night, if you prefer)

Tamaki paced nervously as he and the other hosts waited for Haruhi and Mira to arrive. All of the hosts were dressed to the nines, each man wearing a fine suit or tuxedo, and every girl wearing an elegant dress. Each girl had chosen a dress that would be good for their particular style of dance for that night. Even Kazuma was already there in a white suit with a blue collared shirt, white tie, and very stylish dancing shoes. Although it was a festive occasion, everyone was a little tense. The ball the hosts had planned was going to start in ten minutes, and neither of the female hosts had shown up yet without a word to any of them.

Needless to say, Tamaki was worried.

"Do you think they got hurt?" Tamaki asked suddenly, "Or in an accident? They said they were going to come here together!"

"Tamaki, I'm sure they're fine." Kyoya assured, "They're both coming from Haruhi's house, and it takes a while for Haruhi to get here on a normal school day." He gestured to the door with a wave of his hand, "I'm sure they'll walk through that door any second now."

Two seconds later, the door was opened by Haruhi, who came dressed in a suit. "Sorry, I'm late, sempai." Haruhi said, she let out a grunt when Tamaki instantly came over to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

" _Haruhiii_!" He cried, "Daddy was so worried! Where were you?" Haruhi pried him off of her as best she could.

"My dad went a little overboard with Mira-sempai's look," Haruhi explained, "So we had to wash it off and redo her make-up so it wouldn't look too bad." Everyone looked up as another figure entered through the same door.

It was a young woman, with dark brown hair done into a complicated, but elegant bun. A single streak of neon blue hair had been left out of the bun and hung down the side of her face stylishly. She wore a blue, flowing dress with a single shoulder strap underneath a white jacket that went down to her middle and sleeves that went to her forearms. She wore a pair of white pantyhose underneath, and she also wore what could only be described as heeled ballerina shoes. Her curves were very noticeable in the dress, as well as some of her cleavage, but the thing that attracted the club's attention was her face. It was beautifully decorated with make-up, making her appear delicate, but also making her glow.

Mira raised an eyebrow at the host club when she saw them gaping at her, "What?"

"Mira-sempai?" Tamaki asked, still gaping, "Is that you?"

Mira crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a dry look, "Who else would it be, genius?" When they still gaped at her she sighed, "Haruhi's dad insisted on doing my hair and make-up for the occasion."

"You clean-up good!" The twins complimented, giving her two thumbs-up. Mira smirked at them.

"For once, I will accept your compliments." Mira said, "But only because I have no intention of ruining this dress tonight."

"Mira-chan! You look so pretty!" Honey said, coming over to her, "Like a flower!"

"Aw, thanks." Mira said, patting his blonde hair.

"My little daughter looks so grown up now!" Tamaki cooed, he was about to hug her, and Mira held up her fist ready to punch him and he stopped.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me." She growled, "Ranka-san put  _way_  too much work into this," She gestured to her bun, "To have  _you_  screw it up." Tamaki pouted, and backed away. Mira looked over at Kazuma and smirked, "And look at you, Mr. Fancy Pants." Kazuma grinned and adjusted his suit jacket as she walked over to him, "Don't you look snappy." She pulled a strand of now flat hair, "Did  _Mommy_  make your hair all pwetty?" Kazuma scowled and knocked her hand away.

"I did this myself." Kazuma said, "I thought I should look nice for this fancy-shmancy school of yours."

"Although, it didn't help much." Mira said, an angry vein appeared on Kazuma's head.

"Remind me why I'm your partner, again?" He growled out, getting even angrier when Mira cupped his chin with her hand and made his lips purse like a fish's.

"Because you're a very, very sweet boy." She cooed teasingly, Kazuma smacked her hand away.

"You are  _so_  lucky you're a girl." Kazuma said, "Otherwise, I'd knock that smug smirk off your face." Mira stuck out her tongue with a smile and moved away.

"Well, now that you have arrived," Kyoya said, stepping towards her, "We can begin the school ball." He and the other hosts started walking towards a pair of double doors with their partners, arms linked.

"Don't expect me to be happy about it." Mira said as she linked her arm with Kazuma's. They followed the hosts out the doors, and walked into a very large and exquisite ballroom. Dozens of girls waited there, all of them dressed in expensive-looking dresses and gowns, smiling eagerly up at the hosts. A small group of Mira's fans had attended as well, all of them dressed in fine suits. Tamaki stepped forward in front of all the other hosts and smiled at the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He said, "Welcome to the Host Club's first ever Dance-type ball!" The crowd applauded him as he and the other hosts and their partners bowed to them.

"'Dance-type'?" Kazuma muttered to Mira as they walked down the stairs to join the crowd, "Couldn't he have come up with a better name?"

"He's playing it off the host-types." Mira explained, "You know, the princely type, the cool type, the natural type, the tomboy type; that kind of stuff."

"Oh." Kazuma said, "Well, it's still a stupid name."

"I completely agree." Mira said, she moved her arm away from his, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go dance with some of my customers before our performance." She walked over to where she saw some of her customers had gathered and began chatting with them. She was completely unaware of a pair of glaring eyes that were watching her every move.

A dark figure gently fingered a knife in their hands. They took a step out of the shadows towards her, ready to strike, but was blocked when a group of girls, most likely Mira's fanclub, came up to her.  _There are too many people here_ , They thought, _I need to get her alone, then I can take her down without any problems._

* * *

Mira giggled lightly as one of her customers couldn't quite the hang of dancing with her.

"S-Sorry…" He said, pulling away, "I-I'm just not used t-to dancing…" His cheeks flushed and he looked away.

"Then may I cut in?" A voice said, Mira turned around and smiled at who it was.

"Takahiro!" She exclaimed, he smiled at her and she smiled back. She turned back to her customer, "You don't mind do you, Kenji-san?"

"No, no." He said, backing away, "Go ahead." Takahiro held out his hand to Mira and she took it, placing her other hand on his shoulder as they slow-danced to the classical music that played.

"I'm surprised you came here, Takahiro." Mira said, "I didn't think balls were your sort of thing."

"Stupid." Takahiro said with a smile, "If one of my friends is involved, then I go." Mira laughed, remembering how she used those very words at the kendo tournament.

"I see that." She said as Takahiro twirled her around. When she went back into his arms, his expression changed.

"Listen, Marino-sempai, there actually is another reason I came here." He said, Mira's smile fell when she saw his concerned face.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's my sister," He said, "I think she's here somewhere, and I'm a little worried."

"You never told me you had a sister." Mira commented.

"It never came up, now listen." His tone was firm, but also worried, "I never really thought about how my sister would approach you because you're in two separate classes and two separate years, but the other day, I knocked over her backpack, and all these papers fell out. When I looked at them, I saw they were addressed to you, and each one had a razorblade in it. I also found some other stuff that was pretty disturbing. I saw pictures of you coming out of your house, and walking around the school. There was even this one picture of you stepping out of a bathroom in a towel in your  _bedroom_." Mira felt her blood run cold, "When I asked her about it, she didn't say anything, she just took her stuff and ran. I tried to find her to talk about it, but she ran away from home. I think she's here at this party somewhere, and she seriously wants to hurt you." Mira stopped dancing and looked up at Takahiro, her eyes wide in fear.

"Takahiro, if what you're saying is true," She said, "Then your sister is the one who's been stalking me for the past few weeks!" Takahiro nodded grimly.

"Mira-sempai!" Two identical voices called out over the crowd, Mira looked over at the twins as they came running up to her. They hooked their arms underneath both of hers, "Time to get ready for the big dance!" Mira looked at them as if they were crazy.

"Can you just give me five-?" They cut her off.

"Nope, sorry." Kaoru said.

"Kyoya ordered us to bring you in." Hikaru said. They both began to drag her away.

"No, wait!" Mira tried to squirm out of their grip, "I need to talk to him! Just two seconds! Let me go!" Takahiro tried to go after her, but quickly got lost in the crowd. Mira tried to find him, but she couldn't make him out from the many other guests.

The twins tossed her unceremoniously onto a couch in the same room that she had come out of. She glared up at the twins hatefully.

"You  _idiots_!" She shouted, standing up, "What did you do that for?"

"Kyoya told us to." They said, shrugging indifferently.

"Do you realize what you've  _done?_!" Mira demanded, shocking the two of them with how upset she was, "I was  _this_  close to-!"

"Hikaru, Kaoru," Kyoya said, coming up to them, "You two are on first, go get Aoi and Ai." The twins nodded and ran off to find their partners.

Mira looked up at Kyoya, "Hey, what's Takahiro's sister's name?" He looked over at her confusedly.

"Which one?" Kyoya asked, "There are very many Takahiros in Ouran Academy, Mira-sempai."

"Takahiro from the kendo club!" Mira said, stomping her foot in frustration. Kyoya looked at her in surprise at her sudden outburst.

"What's gotten you so worked up?" He asked, "What's the big deal about finding his sister?"

"His sister is the one who's been stalking me!" Mira said, Kyoya's expression suddenly went serious, "He thinks she's here, and that she's going to hurt me!"

"I'll see to it that we get to her before she finds you." Kyoya said, "For now, just trust me with that." Mira nodded.

"I do." She said.

* * *

Waiting was the worst pastime in the world, Mira decided. She and Kazuma were the last to perform in the host club, and Mira's anxiety got worse with every passing minute. It was unbelievably hard for her to relax in that room, because she kept thinking of her stalker standing out there in the crowd, waiting for her to come out. Some of the hosts who were there tried to comfort her, but it didn't help much. Kyoya assured her that nothing would happen to her while she was in the building, and she believed him, but she still did not relax. When it was almost time for her to dance, she and Kazuma stood behind the double doors leading to the ballroom, arms linked, as they waited for Kyoya to tell them to go out.

Mira gripped onto Kazuma's arm tightly as they waited for their turn to go out and dance for the crowd. Kazuma winced at the feeling of her fingers pressing harshly on his arm through his suit sleeve.

"Marino, if you grip any harder, my arm will go numb." He said, Mira loosened her grip.

"Sorry," She said, "I'm just nervous."

"Well, I hope you won't be this nervous at the actual competition." Kazuma said dryly, "Otherwise, I'll have to make a cast so you don't crush my arm." Mira didn't reply. He looked over at her curiously, "Uh, this is the part where you make a comeback."

"I don't particularly feel like it." Mira said.

"Well, what  _do_  you feel like?" Kazuma asked.

"Like throwing up on your shoes." Mira said, Kazuma grimaced.

"I hope you're joking." Mira shook her head, and he sighed, "Okay, it's just pre-show jitters, it'll go away once you're actually dancing."

_It's_ not _just pre-show jitters_ , Mira thought. "If you say so." She said, looking up when the door opened, and Kyoya motioned them forward.

"Up next we have," Renge's voice said over the sound system, "Mirabella Marino performing the swing dance style!" The two of them walked out onto the empty dance floor. The crowd was completely silent as they waited for the music to start. Mira and Kazuma took their place standing beside each other, waiting for the music to start.

When they heard the drums begin to play, they moved their shoulders with the beat, and as the drumming progressed, they did simple, but unique, waves of the arms and hands. When the trumpets started to play, Mira fell back into Kazuma's arms and he caught her, swinging her right back onto her feet. He then turned around and crouched down and she jumped over him as a child would in leap frog, holding out her hand for when he stood up and took it, twirling her in and out of his arms. When she went into his arms, she jumped so her knees landed on his bent one and he held her securely as he swung her legs around him twice before putting her back on the ground. The audience applauded the dance move as the tune began to pick up, and Mira and Kazuma danced accordingly, moving their feet to the beat. After that, they began to perform dance moves similar to the Charleston, and even spun around, holding one hand, and using the other as a jazz hand. Soon, Kazuma quickly picked up Mira by the waist and swung her legs on each side of him before putting her back down and they began to dance side-by-side again. Mira made sure her legs didn't go out too far when she kicked them into the air, and she tried not to kick Kazuma. As the music went on, Mira and Kazuma spun, going to opposite sides of the dance floor, then spinning again to the side their partner had just been on. They spun back to each other, the crowd 'ooh'ing as Kazuma jumped in the air just as Mira twirled toward him and they began to dance side by side again. When the tune changed, the crowd 'ahh'ed when Kazuma spun Mira around and having her feet not touch the floor. The crowd cheered when he cartwheeled away and did the splits on his landing. He and Mira spun around again, and when Kazuma stopped, he crouched down and Mira climbed on his legs and he picked her up, having her legs stick out as they spun around. The audience applauded the move when Mira was put down on the floor again. The tune went back to its original beat, and Mira and Kazuma danced to it, kicking their feet up and moving their shoulders with the beat. As the music began to come to a close, Mira fell back into Kazuma's arms again and he swung her back up, but this time, she went down to the floor, doing the splits, and he stepped over her. He picked her up and they began dancing in each other's arms for a few moments. At one point, he grabbed her by the waist, having her feet drag against the floor as he stepped over her, and then swung her legs around  _under_  his own. And when the music finally came to its last trumpet blown, he lifted Mira up and had her sit on his shoulder, with her arms held up high.

The applause was deafening them before Kazuma put her back on the ground and they took a bow. Mira smiled as she listened to the cheers, completely forgetting her previous anxiety. The two of them were surprised when one girl (Mira recognized her from her fanclub) came running up to her, holding out a bouquet of roses. Mira took them with a blushing smile and the girl ran back into the crowd.

When the applause began to die down, everyone turned to the three judges, who seemed to have decided on their scores. Honey was the first to speak.

"You did a really great job, Mira-chan!" He said happily, "A really,  _really_  great job! I loved those tricks you did! I give you ten points!" He held up a card with the number ten and the crowd applauded the good first score of the dancers. Haruhi spoke next.

"The music was great, and the work you put into the dance has really shown." She complimented, "I'm giving you nine points." She held up a card with the number nine and the crowd applauded again. Renge was the last to speak.

"What a wonderful dance!" She exclaimed, "You two are total professionals! I had no idea that Mira-sempai could dance so well! And the passion you two put into the dance has been seen by everyone here, and it's wonderful! I award you ten points!" She held up a card with the number ten and the crowd applauded again, "This gives you a total score of twenty-nine, which is the highest score out of everyone's! Congratulations!" The audience cheered loudly and Mira smiled brightly.

* * *

"CHEERS!" The host club shouted as they raised their glasses in a toast.

"To Mira-sempai's win!" Tamaki said.

"To Mira-sempai for being Mira-sempai!" The twins said, putting their arms around her shoulders. They drank the punch in the glasses happily, as did Mira.

"I don't need a toast, you know." She said, looking over at Tamaki, not even bothering to remove the twins' arms, "It's not like I won the lottery or anything."

"A dance contest is close enough." The twins said, Mira smiled.

"I guess so…" She said, blushing slightly from the attention.

"Oh, Mira-sempai!" Tamaki cooed, "Daddy's so proud of you!"

"Is my dad here?" Mira asked, looking around her. Everyone but Tamaki laughed at her joke. Tamaki pouted childishly, Mira giggled, "Oh, come on, I was just kidding. No way would my dad ever come to something like this." She removed the twins' arms from her person as she began to take off her jacket. "It's warm in here." She tossed it onto a nearby chair.

"That's probably you." Kyoya said with a smile before he took a sip from his punch. Mira looked at him in mock-surprise.

"Why, Kyoya Ootori!" She exclaimed, "Was that a compliment I just heard?" Kyoya shrugged.

"Why not? You  _do_  look rather stunning in that dress." Kyoya said, Mira raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"This night is just full of surprises." She said, giggling when Kyoya scoffed.

"You know," the twins began, putting their arms back around her shoulders, "You should have let us make your dress."

"No thanks." Mira said, "I have no interest in wearing a dress that would show my panties with every step I took." The twins pouted angrily.

"Don't you know? Short skirts are sexy!" Hikaru said.

"We're just trying to make you look good." Kaoru said.

"Well, try something a little more conservative next time." Mira said, "I'd be a lot more comfortable in something like that."

"You're no fun!" The twins said, moving their arms away. Mira shrugged carelessly.

"Whatever." She said, taking a sip from her punch.

Honey came prancing up to the group, holding up a two-decker cake covered in vanilla icing, "Who wants cake?" He asked, a few hands went up and Honey counted each one, "Okay, one for Kao-chan, one for Mira-chan, and one for Tama-chan. The rest is for me!" He said the last part with a happy tone as he went to cut the pieces of the cake.

"How is it that he eats so much cake and doesn't get fat?" Mira asked.

"High metabolism?" Haruhi offered, Mira nodded.

"That makes sense." She said. She smiled at Honey when he gave her a piece of cake and handed another one to Kaoru. Just as she was about to bite into it, her cellphone began to ring. She reached into her dress pocket and pulled it out, seeing Kazuma's caller ID on the screen. She answered it, "Yeah?"

"I'm ready to go." Kazuma said on the other line.

"Already?" Mira asked.

"Yeah! It's almost 10:00. Isn't your curfew 10:30?" Kazuma said.

"Is it?" Mira asked in surprise, "I didn't realize it was so late."

"Well, come on, let's go." Kazuma said, "I'm waiting out front."

"Yeah, I'll be there." She hung up the phone, "I gotta go."

"Aw, now?" Honey whined, "But you haven't even eaten your cake yet!" She handed him her piece.

"Here, you can have it." She said, she put her phone back in her dress pocket, "I have to get going. I'll see you all tomorrow." They waved goodbye as she walked through the crowd in the ballroom, heading for the exit.

When she had gotten out the door, Honey looked over and saw her jacket was still on the chair she had tossed it on.

"Uh-oh!" He said, going over and picking it up, "Mira-chan forgot her jacket!" He turned to Mori, "We should hurry and get this to her before she leaves." Mori nodded and followed his cousin out of the ballroom.

* * *

Mira walked down the pathway outside the ballroom, noting how dark it was at the moment. She looked up in surprise when she saw the form of someone sitting alone outside the building. She recognized them and walked over, looking down at their hunched form.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" She asked them, they didn't respond, "Shouldn't you be inside? The party's still going on, you know." They stood up and she smiled at them, "That's it. Why don't you go inside and…" She trailed off, seeing a knife in their hands, "What are you doing with that?" She got her answer when they gripped it tightly and drove the blade through her chest. She let out a breathy gasp at the sudden pain that filled her body completely. The person holding the knife smiled evilly at her. Mira's eyes filled with pain-filled tears, "Y-You're…" Her voice came out raspy and hoarse as blood began to come out of her throat.

"Mira-chan!" Honey's voice was heard by both of them, and the person saw him and Mori running towards them, Honey holding up Mira's jacket, "You almost left this behind!" The person ran from the scene as fast as their legs would take them. Mira was still standing, the knife still in her chest. Honey looked at her back oddly when he saw her shaking form, "Mira-chan?" Her strength did not last long, for she fell to the ground, her blood beginning to pool around her head from her mouth, and running down her body from the wound, her tears still rolling down her cheeks, "MIRA-CHAN!" Honey abandoned the jacket and he and Mori dashed to her side.

Mira tried to speak, but all that came out was a bloody cough. Honey's eyes filled with tears, "Mira-chan!"

"Mitsukuni," Mori said, "Call an ambulance." Honey nodded and quickly pulled out a cellphone, dialing 911. Mori looked down at Mira and flinched when he saw the knife in her chest. He looked at Mira's shaking hand as it grabbed onto his and put it on the knife. Mori understood what she was telling him, and shed his jacket in preparation. He gripped the handle of the knife tightly, he looked at her, silently asking her if she was ready, and she nodded. He yanked the knife out of her body as quickly as he could, Mira let out a pain-filled cry once it was gone. More tears flowed down her cheeks as Mori pressed his jacket over the wound, putting as much pressure as he could to try and stop the bleeding. They both heard Honey tearfully explaining Mira's emergency over the phone to the person on the other line. Mori's eyes met Mira's and he watched in horror as they began to close. He snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention, but it didn't do much good. He patted the side of her face, and her eyelids went up a little. He looked down at her, his face etched in concern, and was surprised when she gave him a smile with her bloody mouth. One of her hands covered his, and Mori felt how much she was shaking.

_I'm afraid_ , She was silently saying,  _But I'm glad you're here._

"They said they'll be here soon." Honey said, hanging up his cellphone, "I'm going to get more help!" Mori nodded as Honey ran off to where Kazuma was waiting for Mira. Mori looked down and saw her eyes begin to close again. He patted her cheek to get her to stay awake, but her eyelids still fell. Finally, they closed, and Mira let out a small breath. Mori patted her cheek again, and she didn't wake up at all. He tried patting her a little bit harder, but it still didn't do anything. His heart began to pound in fear that she was going to die.

"Mirabella." He said her name, hoping it would wake her up, but it didn't do anything, "Mirabella!" Still no response. He felt tears prick at his eyes, "Mirabella!"

Tears fell from his eyes and fell onto her face. She still didn't move.

"MIRABELLA!"

* * *

**This was the dance that I got for Mira and Kazuma on [youtube] It's award-winning.**

**watch?v=zY-sTmzP2sE &feature=feedlik_more**


	22. Chapter 22 - The Recovery

22

Mori sat next to his cousin as they waited outside the operating room in the hospital, across from them sat the rest of the host club, Kazuma sat with them. Honey sniffled as he wiped away tears again, he had been crying non-stop on the way over. Mori gently patted his head, trying to comfort him. His hand was shaking when he tried to help Honey stop crying, and Honey knew that he was just as worried as he was, maybe even more. Hikaru sat next to Kaoru, holding his hand in silence. Haruhi sat beside Kazuma, small tears rolling down her cheeks in worry. Kazuma was incredibly fidgety, his foot didn't stop tapping, and his hands kept gripping onto each other. Tamaki was the only one of the group that wasn't sitting down, pacing constantly across the floor. Kyoya was not among them at the moment.

The sound of three pairs of running footsteps caught their attention and they looked to see Isabella, Alfonso, and Kenneth running towards them.

"Where is she?" Isabella asked when she come up to Tamaki. He pointed to the operation room. She looked at it, then turned back to him, "What happened?" Her voice became thick with tears.

"Her stalker came after her." Tamaki said, his tone dull, "She got stabbed in the chest."

" **Oh, God!** " Isabella cried, she covering her mouth in shock. She turned around into Alfonso's arms and he held her close as she began to cry into his chest. He comforted her by gently rubbing her back.

"It's okay Izzy." He said quietly, "Just breathe, it's okay." Alfonso had tears welling up in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. He needed to be strong for his sister now, not fall apart like he wanted to.

"Is there any word on her condition?" Kenneth asked, the only one of the three who seemed to be composed. Tamaki shook his head.

"Not yet." He said.

"Have you contacted the police about the attack?" Kenneth asked.

"Kyoya said he was going to." Tamaki said, Kenneth only nodded once.

"Do you have any idea who could have done this?" He asked, Tamaki shook his head.

"No…" He mumbled, looking away. Kyoya walked towards the group and Kenneth looked over at him.

"I contacted the police." He said, "They'll be here soon."

"Whoa, Izzy, take it easy!" Kenneth's head whirled around and he saw his youngest sister was hyperventilating. Alfonso looked up at him worriedly, "She left her inhaler at home! I didn't grab it!"

"I did." Kenneth said, he walked over, pulling Isabella's inhaler out of his pocket and handed it to her. She took it and pushed down on the button at the top, breathing in as she did. She repeated this a few times until she calmed down, tears still running down her cheeks, but she only sniffled. Alfonso began rubbing her back again and she took in a deep breath, showing him that she was fine.

Everyone's attention was turned to the operating room as the doors opened and a surgeon stepped out. His scrubs were bloody as he removed latex gloves and his surgical mask.

"Brother." Kyoya said, catching his attention, "How is she?"

Kyoya's eldest brother, Ichirou Ootori, was the head surgeon on the emergency operation for Mira. He sighed as he disposed of the mask and gloves into the trash.

"The person who did this is either very smart," He began, "Or your friend is  _extremely_  lucky."

"What happened?" Kenneth asked.

"The person who attacked her, I'm guessing aimed for her heart." Ichirou said, pointing to where his heart would be on his chest, "But what happened, is they missed their target by  _centimeters_." He moved his hand to a spot closer to the middle of his chest, "And instead, they hit the spot just between her lungs and heart without severely damaging anything. Her ribs are slightly damaged, as are her blood vessels, but it's nothing we couldn't fix. It's a miracle her heart or lungs weren't even so much as scratched."

"So, she'll be okay?" Kenneth asked, Ichirou nodded.

"I expect a full recovery." He replied, Kenneth let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God." He said.

"Can we see her?" Alfonso asked.

"She's being sutured up right now," Ichirou said, "But once she's out, you can see her."

* * *

Mira's unconscious form lay on the hospital bed. Her chest was covered in bandages. Isabella and Alfonso sat beside her bed, waiting for her to wake up. Some of the host club was there as well, waiting for her eyes to open. Outside of the hospital room, Kenneth and Kyoya stood alone. Kenneth glanced inside and saw his sister was still unconscious and he sighed, turning back to Kyoya.

"Why don't you go in there and wait with them?" Kyoya asked, Kenneth shook his head.

"I can't stand to see her like that." He said, "It makes me sick."

"It turns my stomach as well." Kyoya growled angrily, "To think that someone would actually do this to her…" He trailed off, not wanting his fury about the situation to show at that time, "But I don't think I'm the one taking this the hardest." He glanced at where Mori was sitting in the room, right beside Mira's bed across from where Alfonso and Isabella were sitting, "Mori-sempai saw it happen, as did Honey-sempai." He put his hands in his pockets, "I wouldn't be surprised if he's beating himself up right now." Kenneth nodded in agreement. After a moment of silence, Kyoya looked back at Kenneth, "Have you told your father about this?"

"Of course I haven't told my father." Kenneth said quickly, "If he knew about this, he would not only have her pulled from the school, but he'd ship her back to America. I can't let him do that."

"Why not?" Kyoya questioned, "From what I can see, Mira-sempai would be much happier in America. She always tells us how much she can't stand the host club, I think she'd be overjoyed to leave." Kenneth let out a small laugh at his words.

"That's just her way of saying she enjoys your company." He said, "She'll never admit it out loud, but I think she really likes that club." He looked back in the room, smiling a little at the members of the host club that grouped around her, "She's made good friends, and it would kill her to go back and leave them all behind."

"And here I thought she hated us." Kyoya said with a small smirk. Kenneth smiled and let out a small laugh, but it stopped and his face became serious.

"Do you have any idea who could have done this?" He asked, Kyoya's smile fell.

"Mira-sempai told us that she might have found her stalker." Kyoya said, "She said it was the younger sister of one of her friend's in kendo. Takahiro's younger sister. As it turns out, though, with everything that's happened recently, I haven't had the time to see who she was." Kenneth let out a thoughtful hum.

The sound of a pair of feet caught their attention as they saw two adults, a man and a woman, coming down the hallway.

"Are you Kyoya Ootori?" The man asked Kenneth, who pointed to Kyoya.

"I am." Kyoya said, "And you are?" The couple pulled a pair of police badges from their pockets.

"I'm detective Rampo, this is detective Edogawa." The woman introduced, "You called the police department about an attack?"

* * *

Mori looked over at Mira as she lay still on the bed. She looked as if she were only sleeping, which, in her state, she might as well be. Everyone around her was still worried, wondering if she would wake up soon. When a pair of people entered the room, he saw a couple enter the room. They looked around their group before the man spoke.

"Which one of you is Morinozuka and Haninozuka?" He asked. Honey and Mori looked up at him.

"We are." Honey said, pointing to him and his cousin. The two of them showed them their police badges.

"I'm detective Rampo, we need to take your witness statement about the attack." She said, putting her badge away. Honey looked over at Mira worriedly. Mori gently petted Honey's hair.

"She'll be fine." He said, and got up so the he could follow the detectives, but everything seemed to pause when he heard a moan from the hospital bed. He whirled around and looked to see Mira was waking up.

* * *

_It's dark_. Was the first thought that came to Mira's mind,  _I can't feel anything_.  _Where the heck am I, anyway?_  She tried to open her eyes to see where she was, but was instantly blinded by the bright hospital lights, and groaned. She became more aware of her surroundings, feeling sheets and a mattress underneath her. She began to hear voices as well.

"She's waking up!"

"Mira-sempai?"

"Mira!"

"Can you hear us, Mira-sempai?"

"Mira-chan!"

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking quickly in the hospital light, and began to focus on everything around her. She looked over and saw her sister and her brother, Alfonso, standing beside the bed she lay on. She looked around and saw the entire host club, plus Kazuma, was there also. She carefully put her arms under her and pushed herself up so she could sit. She felt her brother's arms steady her when she did. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Thanks, Al." She said, he smiled at her, full of relief. She looked around at everyone else, and her gaze stopped on one person on the other side of the bed, her eyes widening. "Honey, what's the matter?"

"Mira-chan!" Honey cried, jumping up into her arms. She caught him, and looked at him in surprise when he began to cry into her shoulder.

"Hey, come on…" Mira murmured, putting her arms around him, "Don't cry, it's okay." Honey wrapped his arms around her neck and kept sobbing. Mira gently rubbed his back to try and calm him down, "It's okay, everything's okay. Shhh…" She sat there for five minutes, trying to soothe the child-like third year in her arms. When his sobs finally died down into sniffles, he curled up in her lap, hugging her as if his very life depended on it. Mira gently ran her hand up and down his shoulder, comforting him as he stayed in her arms.

She was surprised when she felt someone's arm go around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head. She looked up at her brother, who smiled at her.

"We thought you were a goner, Mira." He said, Mira scoffed.

"I thought you knew me better than that, Al." She said, "It takes a lot more than a knife to kill  _me_." Alfonso let out a small laugh and kissed her head again.

"Good to see you're completely fine." He said, pulling away. Mira looked over at Isabella, and saw her cheeks and eyes had been stained red from tears, looking as if she were about to cry again. Mira smiled softly at her and held out her hand to her.

"Here, I already looked after one crybaby." Isabella let out a teary laugh.

"You're so mean, Mira." She said, her voice shaking as she moved under her sister's arm, sniffling as she hugged her, but not sobbing. Kenneth walked over to Alfonso and Mira smiled at him, giving him a thumbs-up over Isabella's shoulder. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up back. Mira soon found herself surrounded by the rest of the host club, who kept expressing their concerns for her wellbeing. Mira tried to quell them by telling everyone she was fine, but they still persisted. Tamaki insisted that he should hire a personal nurse for her, and Mira refused. Kyoya promised her extra medical care, and Mira said the normal amount of medical care would be fine. The twins promised that if she made sure to never let something like this happen again, they'd never make her another short-skirted outfit again. Mira knew they wouldn't keep their promise, but she accepted it anyway. Honey said she should come over to his house for cake to make her feel better, and she politely turned him down. Haruhi said she would make her some herbal tea that was said to help people heal faster, and Mira said it wasn't necessary. Mori simply stood next to her, silently reminding her that he would look after her from now on.

When the host club had finished worrying over her, she looked over at the two detectives, who approached her, telling her their names and why they were there.

"If you could just give us a description of who attacked you," Detective Edogawa said, "We should be able to track them down."

"A description?" Mira repeated, "I'll do you one better, I'll give you a name."

"You know who did this?" Detective Rampo asked in surprise, Mira nodded.

"That lying bitch Ayame." Mira growled, "She's the one who attacked me."

"You mean… President of your fanclub Ayame?" Tamaki asked in surprise. Mira nodded.

"She's the one who attacked me." Mira said, "She waited outside the ballroom for me, and she made it look like she was sulking. When I went over to her to see what was wrong she stood up and she stabbed me."

"And what is Ayame's last name?" Detective Rampo asked, Mira blanched.

"I… I don't know." She said.

"I do." Kyoya said, "Ayame Matsumoto. That's her full name. She's the younger sister of Takahiro Matsumoto. She's a first year in our high school. For the past few months, we believe she's been stalking Mira so she could get this opportunity." The detectives nodded.

"We'll get right on it." Detective Edogawa said, and just like that, they left. When they were gone the room was left awkwardly silent.

"Well!" Kazuma said, standing up and stretching his limbs, "If you're going to be fine, then I'm going home."

"Okay, bye." Mira said as he walked out, he said nothing in return. She looked around at everyone, "Anyone else hungry? I feel like I could eat an elephant."

"Oh! I'll get you something to eat!" Tamaki said, "The cafeteria should have something good! I'll bet they have American food!"

"We'll go too!" The twins said. The three of them ran out, Haruhi sighed.

"I just know they're going to pick something you won't want to eat." She said, she walked out of the room, "I'll get you something good, I promise."

"Thanks Haruhi, I knew I could count on you." Mira said, waving goodbye.

"I'll get you something to wash that down." Isabella said, she grabbed her brother's sleeve, "You know where the vending machines are, right?"

"Yes," Kenneth said, "They're just down the hall near the bathrooms."

"What?" Alfonso asked, "No, I saw the vending machines, they're down the hall near the janitor's closet!"

"No, they're near the restrooms." Kenneth said, "I'm fairly certain I saw them there."

"Why would they be near the restroom?" Alfonso argued, "I'm telling you, they're near the janitor's closet."

"They're near the restrooms." Kenneth said firmly.

"No, they're not!" Alfonso said, "I'll  _prove_  it!"

"Well, then let's see your  _proof_." Kenneth said, standing up.

"You  _will_  see it!" Alfonso said, standing up and walking out of the room, "And you will feel ashamed that you ever doubted your big brother!"

"You're only older than me by fifteen minutes." Kenneth said, pulling Isabella along as he walked out, "That doesn't make you much older."

"It does if we're twins!" Alfonso's voice carried down the hall.

"It's  _fifteen_  minutes!" Kenneth argued back. They continued to argue as they kept walking. Kyoya sighed.

"They're going to bother the patients with that." Kyoya said, he got up and walked after them, "I'm going with them to explain it to the staff."

"That's probably a good idea." Mira said with a small laugh. Kyoya walked out, following the two brothers down the hall to where they argued about the location of the vending machines, leaving only Mira, Honey, and Mori in the room alone. She looked over at the silent host, who hadn't said a single word since she woke up. Honey, still curled up in her lap, had closed his eyes and appeared to be asleep. Mira looked down at him and gently picked him up out of her lap and set him beside her.

"Um…" He looked over at her, "Thanks for helping me out back there. You and Honey were the first ones to me when I got hurt and… Thanks." Mori reached over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She blushed when she was pulled into his chest as he embraced her.

_His very nice, muscular chest._  Her mind added.

"I'm glad you're alright." He said. Mira's blush deepened at the sound of his deep voice right in her ear.

"M-Me, too…" She said. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had never been this excited about a hug before! She waited for him to pull away, as most people didn't have hugs that lasted for very long, but he never did. She didn't mind at all, she'd be content to stay in his arms for the rest of her life. The arms that were enclosed around her were warm, and she felt safe with him. When she breathed in, she could smell him. His scent reminded her of chai spice. She unconsciously nuzzled her face into his chest, her ear was next to his heart, and she could hear it pounding. She smiled to herself when she realized she was the one that made him react like that, and her heart kept beating until it matched his perfectly.

When Mori first held Mira, he thought she would push him away the first second he tried. When she didn't, he felt his worries vanish, and he became more relaxed. With his arms wrapped around her, Mori realized just how small she was. Sure, she wasn't too much shorter than him, but when he held her, she seemed so petite. Her shoulders weren't as broad as the school uniform made them look. They were actually much smaller, it was like holding a different person, when he thought about it. He rested his head above hers, and he could faintly smell her shampoo. She smelled of vanilla, and irises, he smiled. She may be strong enough to take down any person who came in her way, but she was still a girl. When he felt her nuzzle into his chest, his heart kicked into overdrive, and he prayed to any God that would listen to him that she wouldn't hear his heartbeat.

As wonderful as this moment was for the both of them, though, it came to an end when Tamaki and the twins came bursting through into the room, singing out, " _Mira-sempai_!"

Mori and Mira jumped away from each other as if they were opposite poles of a magnet, their faces flushed a deep shade of red. Tamaki looked between the two of them confusedly, and the twins grinned deviously.

"Are we interrupting something?" The twins asked. Their blushes deepened.

"What is there to interrupt?" Mira asked in return. The twins chuckled darkly, Mira glared at them, "What the hell are you laughing at?"

"Nothing." The twins said, bringing over two plates of food, "Here, we got you something to eat." Mira looked at the plate, not recognizing the food on it.

"What  _is_  this?" She asked, sniffing at the food, and grimacing at the odor it gave off.

"The cafeteria lady said it was liver." Mira convulsed in disgust, "Americans eat liver don't they?"

"Not this one!" Mira said, handing it back to them.

"Here, I picked something that should fit your tastes." Tamaki said, holding out a plate. Mira looked at the food in surprise, "You like pizza, right?"

"I love pizza!" Mira said, picking up the food and taking a bite. She stopped when she tasted it and spat it out, coughing, "What kind of pizza is that?"

"The woman at the cafeteria said it was pizza." Tamaki said. Mira inspected the food and glared at it.

"No wonder it tastes so bad." Mira said, "There's no tomato sauce. This is just bread and cheese." She handed the pizza back to him. Haruhi chose that moment to come into the room, holding a plate of food that Mira recognized.

"Are those…?" She asked, pointing to it.

Haruhi nodded, walking over to her, "Yep. Mochi." Mira smiled and took the rice ball off the plate, taking a bite.

"I knew I could count on you, Haruhi." She said through a mouth filled with rice.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Haruhi said, Mira nodded and shut her mouth, swallowing her food before she spoke again.

"Is it okay for me to eat this?" She asked, Haruhi nodded.

"It should be." She said, "The wound shouldn't affect the way you eat." Mira nodded.

"I guess so." She said, taking another bite of the rice ball.

* * *

_A few days later…_

Isabella ran to answer the knocks on her front door, "Coming!" She opened the door and looked to see who it was, "Oh, detectives." She stood aside, "Come in." The two law-enforcers nodded to her as they walked in, "We live in a western-style house, so feel free to leave your shoes on."

"Thank you." Detective Rampo said, "Where is your sister?"

"Um, she's up in her room right now." Isabella said, "Should I go get her?"

"We have some news we think she should hear." Detective Edogawa said. Isabella nodded and ran upstairs, coming down with her sister moments later.

"Detectives," She greeted, "How is the search going?" Since Mira's attack, Ayame had gone missing. At the beginning of the investigation, they had searched the Matsumoto home, finding all of the pictures that Ayame had taken while stalking Mira, and even a few more where her face had been scratched out. They took her fingerprints from those pictures and matched them to the ones on the envelopes and letters that she had used to threaten Mira. It was later discovered that she had started the fanclub to dispel any suspicions about her being the stalker.

"We found her." Detective Edogawa replied with a smile.

"Really?" Mira asked in surprise, "Where was she?"

"She was in a cheap, roadside motel complaining to the staff about their, quote: 'inadequate excuse for food'." Detective Rampo said with a grin, "The manager saw a picture of her on the news and contacted us right away." Mira smirked.

"So, is she in jail?" She asked.

"At the moment, yes." Detective Edogawa said, "And she'll stay there until she's given a set number of years after her trial."

"You think she has a chance of getting out?" Isabella asked, the two detectives shook their heads.

"The evidence is  _piling_  up against her." Detective Edogawa assured, "She'll be locked up for the attack charges, but she will also see a therapist about her obsessions. When she comes out, she'll be a perfectly stable nineteen-year-old."

"That's good to hear." Mira said in relief.

"We just thought we'd come and tell you the good news in person." Detective Rampo said.

"Well, thank you." Mira said, "It's good to know I won't have to worry about her for a while."

"We'll be on our way now." Edogawa said as he and his partner turned to the door.

"You're leaving so soon?" Isabella asked in surprise, "Why don't you stick around? We were about to have lunch, why don't you join us?"

"Thank you, but no." Rampo said, "We have some other cases to work on before we go home tonight."

"Well, alright." Isabella said, "Have a good day, officers."

"You too, Miss Marino." Edogawa said, giving the two sisters a small wave as they walked out the door.


	23. Chapter 23 - Summer Break

23

_One month later…_

"Mira-chan!" Honey sang happily as he skipped towards his friend. She smiled at him.

"Hey, Honey." She greeted, she looked up at his cousin, "Hey, Takashi." He nodded his head back. Some time ago, Mira said she preferred the name Takashi over Mori, and declared that she was going to call him that from now on whether he wanted her to or not. He didn't mind in the least.

"Mira-chan, what are you going to do for your summer vacation?" Honey asked as the three of them headed to class. Mori watched as her face lit up with a smile.

"I'm going home." She said. Honey tilted his head in confusion.

"You're spending it at your house?" He asked, Mira shook her head.

"No, this is the first month-long break we've had from school," She explained, "So we're going back to New York for a little Marino family reunion."

"All the way to New York?" Honey asked in surprise, Mira nodded.

"Yeah, I'll get to see all my old friends," She said, the smile growing a little wider, "And," She added quietly, "I'll get to see my mom again."

"That sounds like fun!" Honey said, jumping up in excitement. Mira giggled at his cute behavior.

"So, what are you two doing for summer vacation?" She asked.

"Well, Takashi and I were planning another beach vacation." He said, "But Chika-chan said that would be boring. So instead, we're going to visit another country."

"Fun." Mira said, "Which one are you visiting?"

"We're not sure yet." Honey said, "But I was hoping we could go to Britain. Or Peru!" Mira smiled.

"Sounds like a little adventure." She said, she looked up at Mori, "What about you, Takashi? Are you going with him?" Mori nodded once.

* * *

"But, _Mira-sempai_!"

"But  _nothing_!"

"But you  _have_  to! It's summer vacation!"

"I said no, Tamaki!"

This was the scene Haruhi walked in on when she entered the host club room. She saw everyone else sitting around, completely ignoring the argument between the two. She looked over at Kyoya.

"What are they arguing about this time?" She asked.

"Tamaki is trying to convince Mira-sempai to come with the host club on a summer vacation trip out of the country that he plans on treating us to." Kyoya replied, not looking up from his laptop.

"So, why is she saying no?" Haruhi asked.

"Because she's going to America for summer break." Kyoya said.

"She's going to America?" Haruhi asked in surprise.

"For a family reunion, apparently." Kyoya said, "And she's dead-set on not going on any sort of vacation with the host club." Haruhi shrugged.

"I couldn't go, even if I wanted to." She said, "So I guess I don't have to worry about it."

"Ah, that's right, you don't have a passport." Kyoya said, looking up at her. "That's a shame, seeing as you're the most likely out of all of us to join her." Haruhi shrugged indifferently. She walked over to the other side of the couch Kyoya was sitting on and waited for the fight between Tamaki and Mira to stop.

"You have no right to tell me no!" Tamaki declared.

"I have  _every_  right!" Mira shot back, "I don't want you coming to see my family! Do you know how  _humiliated_  I would be?"

"Are you saying you're embarrassed to be seen with me?" Tamaki asked in shock.

"I'm saying I'm embarrassed to see your idiotic face every day!" Mira said, she turned away from him, "You're not coming with me. That's my final word on the subject!" She walked over to the twins, completely ignoring how Tamaki had shrunk off into a corner, muttering something about how mean his daughter was, "Okay, you two." The twins turned to her, hiding something behind their backs, "What's today's poison?" They grinned evilly before pulling out a tiny, strapless black dress. Mira gaped at it, "What is  _that_?"

"It's today's theme!" The twins replied, waving the dress at her.

"The theme is black and white," Hikaru said.

"And you're wearing this black dress with  _these_  heels." Kaoru said, holding up a pair of strappy black stilettos.

" _That_  is  _not_  a dress." Mira said, pointing at it, " _That_  is a dish rag with both ends sewn together. I'm not wearing it."

"Oh, yes you are." Kyoya said, catching her attention, "There isn't any other dress for you to wear. You don't have a choice." Mira glared at him.

"No way in hell." She growled.

"I'll repeat myself." Kyoya said, "You do  _not_  have a choice."

Her glare harshened, "Fine." She turned to the twins, "There had  _better_  be some pantyhose to go with that dress." Mira growled out, glaring at them. They shook their heads.

"Nope!" They said, "You're going out with bare legs!" At this, Mira snapped.

"I'LL  _KILL_  YOU!" Mira shouted, reaching for their throats. They both jumped out of the way and kept running as she chased them. She stopped when a plastic covered hanger was thrown out in front of her. She looked up at who was holding it out and saw that it was Mori. She took the hanger from him and moved the plastic aside and gasped at the beautiful white silk dress inside. It was a modest dress, with sleeves that went down to her forearms, and a skirt that would go to her knees. The neck of the dress would dip down into her chest a little, but not enough to seem skimpy. "Oh… wow." She looked up at him, "Did… You get this for me?" Mori nodded once and she looked back at the dress.

"I got your size from the twins." Mori said. Mira looked back at him and smiled.

"Thanks, Takashi." She said, "I'm going to go change." She moved around him to the changing rooms. Hikaru and Kaoru scowled up at Mori.

"Why can't she wear  _our_  dress?" They asked him, Mori didn't reply. He turned away and walked over to where Honey was eating his pre-host club cake.

He knew the answer to the twins' question, though. As incredibly hot as it would be to see her in that dress, he couldn't let her wear it. If she did, every boy that came in that day would be able to see more skin than he was comfortable with. He knew it was possessive of him, but he didn't care.

* * *

Mira bid the last of her customers goodbye as they left the club room. Once the door had closed, she dropped down on the couch behind her, sprawling her limbs out.

" _Finally_!" She sighed in relief, "Those guys are sweet and all, but this hosting stuff is  _exhausting_!"

"You think you'd be used to it by now." Haruhi mused aloud. Mira looked over at her from her spot on the couch.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, you've been a hostess for, what, three months now?" Haruhi asked, "I'm just saying, after such a long time, you should be used to it." Mira scoffed.

"As if." She said, "I'm just doing this until my debt is paid off. I'm never going to get used to it." She sat up and looked over at Kyoya, "Speaking of which, how many more customers do I need to quit anyway?"

"A lot more than you have already." Kyoya answered. Mira scowled.

"That's a bit of a vague answer, don't you think?" She said, Kyoya shrugged.

"When your debt is paid off, you will know." He said, "I'll make sure of it."

"Hrmmf." Mira let out before rising from her seat, "Screw this. I'm changing and then I'm going home." As she walked over to the changing room, she paused, "Oh, right." She turned around and hugged Mori around his shoulders from behind. Mori's eyes widened at the sudden show of affection, and his cheeks burned at the feeling of her D-cup chest pushing up against his back, "Thanks for the dress, Takashi. I really appreciate you going out and getting it for me." She squeezed him one last time and she let go, going back over to the changing rooms.

Mori covered his mouth with his hand so he could hide his red cheeks. The other hosts looked at him suspiciously. Hikaru and Kaoru shared a glance with each other, before grinning evilly. They slid over to where Mori was sitting.

"What's the matter, Mori-sempai?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah, you don't look too good." Kaoru said. He moved Mori's hand and they saw his red cheeks, "Look at that, your face is all flushed."

"Are you getting a fever, Mori-sempai?" Hikaru asked, the twins grinned evilly, "Or maybe…"

They both leaned in and whispered in his ear, "The feel of Mira-sempai's chest was too much for you?" Mori's blush deepened. The twins began to laugh.

"He's really embarrassed!" Kaoru laughed.

"The stoic Mori-sempai is  _embarrassed_!" Hikaru laughed, they both held their stomachs as they laughed at Mori's expense. They kept on laughing about it until Mira walked in, dressed in her school uniform.

"What's so funny?" She asked, catching their attention. They stopped laughing immediately (Or, tried to, anyway) and turned to her with innocent looks on their faces.

"Nothing." They said, Mira gave them a suspicious look, but paid it no mind.

"Whatever." She said, "I won't see you guys until after summer break." She sighed happily, "A whole month away from the host club… Who could ask for more?" She walked out of the room with a little happy bounce in her step, "Later!"

* * *

Mira jumped down the stairs to where the taxi that would take her, her brothers, and her sister to the airport waited. The smile on her face was larger than any of them had seen in a long time.

"Somebody's awfully chipper." Kenneth mused as she skipped next to him.

"How could I not be?" Mira asked him, "We're going home! After so long!"

Her father chuckled, "Remember, Mira, we'll only be there for a month. We're coming home once it's over."

"I know." Mira said, she allowed herself a moment of girlish glee and squealed, jumping up and down, "I'm just so  _excited_!" Her family laughed at her behavior.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" Alfonso asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in a hug. He pulled away and they all walked out to the taxi.

* * *

Tamaki lay on his couch, staring at the ceiling, a thoughtful expression on his face. One of his maids looked at him concernedly and walked over to him.

"Um, Master Tamaki…?" She asked, looking at him, "Is everything alright?"

Tamaki didn't say anything for a moment, then gasped, and jumped up from his seat, startling the maid.

"That's it!" He exclaimed happily.

"What's it, sir?" The maid asked, her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"Could you bring me a phone?" Tamaki asked, ignoring her question, "I need to make a very important phone call!" She nodded and walked off, fetching him what he asked for. When he got it, he dialed in a number and waited until the other person on the other line picked up.

"Hello?" Kyoya's voice answered.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki shouted excitedly into the device, "I have a brilliant beyond brilliant idea!"

"And what would that idea be about?" Kyoya asked.

"About how the host club can spend summer break together!" Tamaki said, "Listen to this…"

* * *

Mira stretched her limbs out as she stepped off the plane and into the airport. She took in a deep breath and let it out, " _ **Ahh**_ **, the smell of engine exhaust and greasy fast food… How I missed New York!** " She threw her arms up happily at the last part.

" **And New York missed you, girl!** " A voice said, Mira turned to see who it was and gasped happily.

" **Janelle!** " She exclaimed, seeing her best friend waiting for her. Janelle was a tall, curvy African American girl with long, dark hair in multiple, beaded braids. Mira ran over to her and the two girls hugged tightly, jumping up and down and squealing for thirty seconds, much to the annoyance of the people around them. " **How did you know we were coming?** "

" **Your daddy called me up the other night.** " Janelle explained, " **Talked 'bout how it'd be good for you to see me when y'all first got off the plane.** " Mira turned to her father, who smiled at her.

She ran over to him and hugged him, " **You're the best dad** _ **ever**_ **!** " She kissed his cheek before running back over to her friend, hugging her and squealing again, but for a much shorter amount of time than before.

" **Okay, you gotta tell me everythin' you did in Japan.** " Janelle said, " **What the food's like, what the people like, who you met, what you did. Everything.** " Mira laughed.

" **It would be my pleasure.** " She said, " **But I gotta get my stuff first, and then we'll talk everything.** " Janelle nodded in understanding.

" **I bet you be missin' American food**." She said as they walked over to baggage claims, Mira's family behind the two. Mira groaned.

" **Only every single day!** " She said, " **I can't tell you how many times I craved a chili-cheese Coney.** " Janelle laughed.

" **I knew it!** " She said. The two girls kept conversing happily as they headed down the escalator. Isabella looked at her older sister happily.

" **It was a good thing you called Janelle, dad.** " She said, " **Who else did you call?** "

" **I called a few of your friends, and yours as well,** " He looked at Alfonso and Kenneth when he said this, " **They said they'd meet you at the house. Said something about how a big surprise would be waiting for us.** "

" **Oh, that sounds like so much fun!** " Isabella exclaimed happily, " **I bet you they're throwing a big surprise party for us!** "

" **God, I hope not.** " Alfonso said, " **I hate surprise parties.** "

" **You hate surprising things in general.** " Kenneth said, " **Like that one time in middle school when Jessie Andrews snuck up on you when she was wearing that goblin mask and you were so scared, you-** "

" **Shut up!** " Alfonso hissed, his cheeks reddening, " **You swore we would never speak of that again! We did the whole 'cross-your-heart' crap!** " Kenneth shrugged casually.

" **I'm just saying,** " He defended, " **You don't like surprises.** "

" **Damn right I don't.** " Alfonso muttered.

" **Is this story the reason he came home early from school with soiled pants that one time?** " Isabella asked, Alfonso's blush deepened.

" **I said** _ **shut up**_ **!** " He said, " **That was a** _ **totally**_ **different situation!** " Kenneth snorted.

" **Not by much.** " He said, Alfonso glared at him.

" **What was that?** " He growled out, Kenneth shook his head with a smile.

" **Nothing, nothing.** " He said, Alfonso still glared at him, but said nothing in response to it.

As they walked closer to the baggage claim, a very familiar voice called out among the crowd.

"MIRA-CHAN!" Mira turned her head in surprise and was knocked over by Honey tackling her in a hug. She stared at him with wide eyes, as did the rest of her family and her friend.

" _Honey?_!" She squeaked out. Janelle gave her an odd look.

" **'Honey'?** " She repeated in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in shock.

"We came to spend summer break in America!" Honey said happily.

"'We'?" Mira repeated in worry, Honey nodded.

"Yeah," Honey turned his head, "We all came!" Mira turned her head and gaped at the sight of the host club (minus Haruhi) all standing a few feet away from her, "It was Tama-chan's idea. We're going to spend summer break in America with you!" Alfonso let out a snort and hid his smile behind his hand. Mira's limbs shook in either anger or shock, she wasn't sure, but one thing she was sure of was that the words that came out of her mouth were out of pure shock.

" **Son of a** _ **bitch**_ **!** "

* * *

Mira glared at Tamaki as he finished up his explanation as he, the host club, Mira's family, and Janelle sat around a large table at a restaurant in the airport.

"And then, I was struck with a great epiphany!" Tamaki said, "'What if I just had Kyoya take us all to America in his family's private jet?' So I called him up, and he got it all set! Although, Haruhi couldn't come because she doesn't have a passport, so we had to leave her behind…" Mira grit her teeth as she responded.

"All I want to know," She began, "Is why?"

"Why not?" Tamaki asked, "None of us have ever visited America before, and since you were born in one of the major cities of your country, I figured you could take us to all the best tour spots!"

"I am  _this close_  to strangling you." Mira said, holding up her forefinger and thumb, "This. Close."

" **What are y'all talking 'bout?** " Janelle asked, looking at the blonde in confusion.

" **Nothing. He's just telling me how much of an idiot he is.** " Mira dismissed. Janelle shrugged it off.

" **Whatever.** " She took a sip from her soda.

"By the way, you never introduced your friend." Tamaki said, gesturing to Janelle. She looked up from her drink when he pointed her out, and looked at his hand as he extended it, "I'm Tamaki Suoh, what's your name?" Before Janelle could reach out to shake his hand, Mira grabbed it in a painfully tight grip and pushed it back.

"One: She doesn't know Japanese." Mira said with an angry growl, "Two: You are not going to know her name because you, and everyone else here, is getting back on that private jet and heading _straight back to Japan!_ " She pointed her finger eastward to prove her point. Janelle's eyes widened at her angered reaction.

"But we came all this way to have fun with you, Mira-sempai." Tamaki said with a pout.

" _Do I look like I give a damn?_!" Mira hissed out, "One of the main reasons I came here was to get away from all of you!" She pointed at the host club that sat around her.

" **Mira, you're being mean!** " Isabella scolded, Mira shot her the angriest look she had ever seen, and she flinched.

" **Stay out of this.** " She growled.

"Mira-chan." Honey said, Mira flinched at how depressed he sounded. She turned and saw his eyes were teary, "Do you hate us that much?"

"Ah! No, no, don't cry!" Mira said quickly, coming over to him, "I don't hate you, Honey! I really don't."

"Then why do you want us to leave so bad?" Honey asked.

"Well… um…" Mira stumbled around for an explanation, "I just…" She looked at him and saw his big brown eyes silently begging her to let the club stay. She began to falter under his gaze. Finally, she sighed. She was only so strong, after all, "You can stay." The twins jumped up, their arms up in the air.

" _Woo-hoo!_ " They cheered, Mira shot them a nasty glare and they stopped.

"But you can't stay with us." She said.

"Oh,  _definitely_  not." Alfonso agreed, his mouth full of French fries, "I'm not letting either of my baby sisters stay in the same place as six guys. No chance in hell."

"Thank you, Al." Mira said. She let out a grunt when small arms embraced her in a hug.

"We can stay, Mira-chan?" He asked excitedly, "For really real?" Mira sighed exhaustedly.

"Yes, you can stay." She said, petting his blonde hair, he smiled and squeezed her happily, "Need to breathe, buddy."

"Oh, sorry." Honey said, releasing her.

"I wouldn't worry about sleeping arrangements, Mira-sempai." Kyoya said, from his place at the table, "I already booked a hotel for us to stay in during our time here. You simply have to take us to all of New York's greatest tour spots."

"And if I refuse?" Mira asked, planting her hands on her hips defiantly.

"Then, I'll simply take all the money we spend on tour guides and add it to your debt." Kyoya shot back. Mira glared at him and he glared back, a calm smile on his face.

"I hate you so much right now." Mira said, Kyoya nodded.

"I'm well aware." He said, "Oh, and you will also act as our translator for the time we're here."

" _The hell?_!" Mira cursed angrily at him, "No way!"

"Mira," Her father said, "Watch your mouth."

"Yes, sir." Mira said, turning back to Kyoya.

"Then, I'll hire a translator, and add that payment to your debt." Kyoya said, Mira let out an angry groan.

"God, I hate you so freaking much!" She said angrily, sitting down beside her friend. She  _thunked_  her head down on the table, and Janelle gave her an odd look.

" **Uh… What just happened?** " She asked, looking at her friend. Mira sighed as she brought her head up.

" **Janelle, remember how I said we'd talk about everything that happened to me in Japan?** " Janelle nodded her head, " **Well, this is the host club. As of three months ago, I became indebted to them, and am currently working it off. That's Tamaki, Kyoya, Hikaru and Kaoru, Honey, and Takashi, but everyone calls him Mori.** " She pointed to each host as she said their name, " **There's another one named Haruhi, but she doesn't have a passport.** "

Janelle nodded her head again, " **Uh-huh…** " Mira looked over at Tamaki and the others.

"Guys, this is my friend Janelle." She waved her hand at Janelle, "She's been a friend of mine since way back." Tamaki smiled and held his hand out to her.

"Dear, Janelle," He said as she shook his hand, "It is an absolute pleasure to make the acquaintance of a natural-born American, who is both a good friend of Mira-sempai's, and so lovely as well." Janelle looked over at Mira for a translation.

" **He says it's very nice to meet you.** " Mira said.

" **That's what he said?** " Janelle asked in surprise, " **In _all_  of that?**"

" **Well, it's not exactly word-for-word…** "


	24. Chapter 24 - Aunt Eva and Cousin Julia

24

Mira looked up at the house she and her family would be staying in. She and her siblings grimaced at the three-story suburban house.

" **Dad, why are we staying _here_?** " Alfonso asked as his father took the bags out of the trunk of a taxi.

" **Because we were offered rooms here.** " Their father said as he pulled out a large suitcase from the trunk. " **I don't want to hear any of you complaining.** "

" **But dad-** " Mira began.

" **Ah, ah, _ah_!** " Her father said, " **I said I don't want to hear it.** " Mira frowned and looked back at the house. Isabella grabbed onto Kenneth's arm.

" **Ken, I'm scared.** " She said, Kenneth reached over and patted her head.

" **I know, I am too.** " He said, looking up at the house.

"Mira-chan," Honey said, walking up next to her, "Is this where you're staying?"

"Yeah." Mira said with a grimace.

"Have you been here before?" Honey asked, Mira nodded, "Do you like it?"

"Some of it." She said.

"What's the part you don't like?" Honey asked, his question was answered once the door opened, revealing a tall, plump woman with long dark hair coming out.

" **Martin!** " She exclaimed happily, embracing Mira's father, " **It's so good to see you again!** " Unseen by the woman, Janelle slipped into the open door behind her.

" **It's good to see you, too, Eva.** " He said, " **How's Jake doing?** "

" **Very well, last I heard.** " She said, she turned her gaze to Mira and her siblings and she smiled happily, " _ **Ohh**_ **! Are those my nieces and nephews?** " She ran over to them and pulled Mira and Alfonso into a tight hug, one arm around Alfonso's neck, the other around Mira's shoulders, " **Look at you two! You've gotten so** _ **big**_ **!** "

" **It's… Good to see you, too… Aunt Eva…** " Mira gasped in the woman's arms. She released them and did the same to Isabella and Kenneth.

" **And look at you two! You both look** _ **so**_ **grown up!** " She cooed, squeezing them. When she let them go, she seemed to notice the host club standing nearby and looked at them, " **Who are all these people?** "

" **They're Mira's friends.** " Her father explained.

" **Are…** _ **not**_ **!** " Mira coughed out, rubbing her neck.

" **They don't speak any English, I'm afraid.** " Mira's father said with an apologetic shrug. Eva nodded in understanding.

" **I see.** " She said, she smiled and held out her hand to Mori, " **Wel-come to A-mer-i-ca!** " She over enunciated each word, which didn't help anyone understand her any better. Mori stared at her hand oddly.

" **They don't speak English, Aunt Eva.** " Mira said, " **They have no idea what you're saying.** "

" **Oh.** " Mira's aunt replied, moving her hand back down to her side, " **Well, if they're your friends, then they're welcome here!** " She walked past her.

" **Yeah, like I'm going to tell** _ **them**_ **that.** " Mira muttered. Eva walked over to the luggage and swung a bag on each shoulder and took a suitcase in each hand.

" **Well, come on inside!** " Eva said cheerily, " **Make yourselves at home!** " She walked to her house and shut the door behind her. The host club looked over at Mira, who still rubbed her neck.

"That's my aunt Eva." She explained, seeing their faces, "She's very…" She tried to find the right word.

"Happy?" Tamaki suggested, Mira shook her head.

"Yes, but that's not what I'm looking for." She said.

"Big?" The twins suggested, Mira shook her head again.

"She is, but that's  _still_  not what I'm looking for." She said.

"Loving?" Honey offered, Mira looked over at him.

"Mm…" She paused, "More like… Overly-affectionate." She sighed, "Better get this over with." They walked up to the door and opened it.

" **SURPRISE!** " A group of voices shouted. Mira and her family smiled at the group of people waiting for them, above their heads was a banner that said 'welcome home'. Instantly, the four of them went over to the people, hugging them and talking about how good it was to see them again. The host club noticed they were all kinds of different people there, but only certain groups went to certain people. The group that surrounded Kenneth were all young, well-dressed men that must have worked for very powerful business companies. The group that surrounded Alfonso looked like a group of frat boys from a college, all of them wearing special jerseys for their fraternity. The group that surrounded Isabella were mostly pretty girls dressed in bright colors, mainly pink. When they looked at the group that surrounded Mira, they were surprised that they were mostly boys.

Mira's friends consisted of a couple boys who looked like they loved their skateboards more than their own mother, a tall, sporty-looking boy who was wearing a basketball jersey, Janelle was there as well, with another boy that looked just like her, and a pale, sickly looking boy dressed in all black with six earrings and a nose piercing. They all looked very happy to see her again.

"I didn't know Mira-sempai had such a…" Tamaki began, "Varied group of friends."

"No kidding." The twins agreed, looking at the group.

" **Miwa!** " A high-pitched voice called out, and the group saw a little girl who appeared to be no more than five years old with two dark pigtails on her head running through the crowd. Mira kneeled down and swung her up in her arms.

" **Hey kiddo!** " Mira said, hugging the little girl.

" **You're back home!** " The little girl exclaimed, hugging Mira's neck. Mira nuzzled the little girl's head.

" _ **Aw**_ **, look at you!** " Isabella cooed, coming over to her, " **It's like you grow by the second, Julia. You've gotten so big!** " She hugged the tiny girl.

" **Okay everyone!** " Eva's voice rang out among the people, " **If you would all come into the dining room, we have dinner prepared for our returning friends and everyone else!** " The crowd moved into another room and the host club followed them.

* * *

The party went on for three hours, with everyone re-acquainting themselves with their friends. Mori noticed that Mira seemed completely at home surrounded by her friends. She glowed with a certain aura that he had never seen back in Ouran, she was genuinely, completely, and utterly happy.

So when her friends had to go home, it was a very long goodbye. She hugged each of them, talking about how she would see them tomorrow, and every day after that.

" **Okay, tomorrow morning,** " Janelle said, " **You and me, Coney Island all day.** "

" **Oh, heck yeah!** " Mira said, hugging her goodbye, " **And tell Jamal I said hey, he left before I got a chance to say anything.** " Janelle nodded.

" **Alright, I see y'all tomorrow!** " She said, waving goodbye. Mira shut the door behind her and turned back around, that happy glow still around her. She walked back into the dining room and looked over at the host club.

"Oh, you guys are still here?" She asked in surprise.

"Of course we're still here!" The twins said, "It's not like we have anywhere else to go."

"You could've gone to your hotel." Mira said, "And, you know, settled in or something."

"And left you here all by yourself?" Tamaki asked incredulously. Everyone gave him a dry look.

"Were you not here for the party?" She asked him, Tamaki flushed shamefully. Mira shook her head, "Moron…"

"We were never properly introduced to your family." Kyoya said, "That's why we stayed."

Mira glared at him, "Fine." She pointed to where her aunt was picking up Julia, who had fallen asleep on the couch. "That's my aunt Eva, and my younger cousin, Julia. I have another cousin named Jake, but he's in Afghanistan."

"How come?" Honey asked.

"He's a private in the military." Mira explained.

"Oh." Honey said.

" **Mira, sweetie,** " Eva said, coming over to her with Julia, " **Could you do me a favor, and take little Jules up to her room?** "

" **Sure.** " Mira said, taking the little girl from her arms. She turned and began to walk away from them when Eva put her hand on Mira's shoulder.

" **Oh, and could you introduce me to these people?** " She said, " **I don't speak any Japanese.** " Mira sighed.

" **Okay,** " She turned back around and pointed to each host as she said their name. " **That's Tamaki, Kyoya, Hikaru, Kaoru, Mitsukuni, but everyone calls him Honey, and Takashi, but everyone calls him Mori.** " She said, " **They're guys from school.** " Eva nodded.

" **And they're your friends?** " She asked.

" **They are** _ **not**_ **my friends!** " Mira replied hotly, accidentally waking Julia, " **Why does everyone keep saying that? I can't stand these freaks!** "

" **Wass goin' on?"**  Julia said sleepily, rubbing her eye as she lifted her head. Mira grimaced as she looked at the child.

" **Sorry, kiddo. Did I wake you up?** " She asked sweetly, Julia nodded, " **Well, come on, it's about bed time for you.** "

" **Mm'kay.** " Julia said, putting her head on Mira's shoulder and letting herself be carried out of the room and upstairs. Eva turned to the host club once she was out of sight.

"It's very nice to meet you all." She said in perfect Japanese, the host club looked at her with wide eyes.

"I thought you didn't know any Japanese!" Tamaki exclaimed in surprise. Eva chuckled.

"I haven't told Martin or any of his kids," She said, "But I've been taking lessons on the language. I've even been teaching Julia." She put her finger to her lips, "It's a secret, okay?"

* * *

Mira walked into Julia's bedroom, which was painted a pale green on all the walls. There were pictures of flowers on the walls, and the edges of the room were hidden by all the different toys she had, which ranged from inflatable balls to Barbie dolls to cute stuffed animals. She walked over to the bed, which had a sky blue bedspread, and put her down on it.

" **You wanna get into your PJ's?** " Mira asked, Julia nodded sleepily and Mira smiled, " **Okay.** " She walked over the toys to get to the closet and pulled up a pair of pink pajamas that were decorated with Dora the Explorer designs. She walked back over the toys to Julia and helped her into her nightwear. When she was ready, she pulled the sheets over her cousin and tucked her in, " **Goodnight.** "

" **G'night…** " Julia murmured sleepily as Mira turned off the lights and switched on the nightlight. Mira smiled at her younger cousin as she shut the door behind her and walked back downstairs. She looked over at her aunt.

" **So, where are we sleeping?** " She asked.

" **Well, you and Isabella will be sharing the guest room next to Julia's. Alfonso and Kenneth,** " She turned to them, " **You two will have to sleep in the living room, I'm afraid. Your father will be getting the guest room at the end of the hall.** "

" **I CALL THE COUCH!** " Alfonso said quickly, Kenneth plugged his ear from the volume of his brother's voice.

" **Is the shouting really necessary?** " Kenneth asked exasperatedly.

" **Yes. Yes it is.** " Alfonso said with a smug smirk.

" **You look like an idiot.** " Kenneth said, the smirk disappeared and he scowled.

" **He's right, you kind of do.** " Mira agreed, coming up to him. His scowl deepened and he turned to her.

" **I'm your awesome older brother.**   **You're supposed to take** _ **my**_ **side!** " He said, Mira shrugged.

" **I prefer to take the smart brother's side.** " She said, Alfonso glared at her, but said nothing. Mira turned to the host club, "Okay, now we're going to get settled in, so you guys can  _leave_  now." She shooed them away, but they didn't move.

"We'll come over tomorrow morning for you to take us around New York." Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses, "So don't get too comfortable." Mira glared at him.

"Demonic bastard." She growled. Kyoya dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand.

"See you tomorrow, Mira-sempai." He bid as he walked out the door.

"Bye, sempai!" Hikaru and Kaoru said, hugging her around the shoulders.

"Get off." Mira growled irritably, and they let go.

"Goodbye, Mira!" Tamaki said, coming to hug her, but Mira stopped him.

"What happened to 'sempai'?" She demanded.

"Well, I figured as long as we're on vacation," Tamaki said, "We could drop the honorifics and act like real friends!"

" _Hell_  no." Mira said, Tamaki's smile fell, "Now go away." He pouted but did as he was told. Honey came over to Mira and hugged her waist.

"See you tomorrow, Mira-chan!" Honey said happily, pulling away.

"See you." Mira said, petting his head. She looked up at Mori as he passed by, "Bye Takashi." Mori nodded once and smiled at her as he and the others left.

* * *

Mira was awoken by the sound of unceasing knocking on her bedroom door. She groaned and grabbed a pillow to put over her head and pulled up the covers. The knocking still continued long after. She cracked open one eye and glared at the door.

" **Go** _ **away**_ **…!** " She groaned, pushing the pillow down on her head. The door slammed open, and Mira curled up even more under the covers. She was alone in the room because Isabella had already gotten up and left.

" _Mirabella_!" Tamaki's voice sang, " _Wakey, wakey~_! Today's the first day to tour New York!" He pulled a travel book out from the inside of his cargo jacket, "I wanna see the Empire State Building!"

"We wanna see Central Park!" The twins said, popping up behind him.

"And Coney Island!" Honey cheered from on top of Mira's shoulders.

Mira pulled herself up from the bed, glaring fiercely at Tamaki. The blood drained from his face as he realized Mira was not a morning person.

" _What_  did I  _say_  about  _calling_  me by  _my name_?" She growled in a dangerously low voice. Tamaki took a cautious step back as Mira glanced over at her digital clock to see it read 7:15. She glared at Tamaki, fisting her pillow in her hand, "It's not even eight yet!" She threw her pillow at him, and missed. Tamaki watched it fly over and hit Mori's stomach, when he turned back to her, he saw the most ferocious face on Mira he had ever seen, "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

The host club did as they were told and ran out, slamming the door behind them. Mira glared at the shut door and lay back down, pushing her face into her pillow and closing her eyes.

* * *

On the other side of the door, the host club stood in silence, still in shock over what had just happened.

After a moment, Tamaki looked over at Kyoya, "Hey, Kyoya?"

"What?" Kyoya asked.

"What's Mira-sempai's blood type?" Tamaki asked.

"AB. Why?" Kyoya said.

He grimaced, "That explains a lot." Kyoya and Honey gave them confused looks, but Mori, Hikaru and Kaoru understood him perfectly.


	25. Chapter 25 - First Day in New York or... Is it a First Date?

25

Mira grumbled unhappily as she drove her aunt's van down the street, with the entire host club in the seats behind her. (She couldn't afford a cab for them all, and the van was the only option) Kyoya sat up in the passenger's seat, watching in amusement as she fumed angrily.

"If those idiots don't shut up, I'm going to drive this car off a bridge." Mira grumbled as she gripped on the steering wheel. For the past five blocks, Tamaki and the twins had been arguing about which place they'd visit first. Kyoya's smile grew in the slightest.

"They'll compromise at some point." He comforted, writing something down in his notebook.

"No they won't." Mira said, "They'll keep fighting until the twins say something that makes Tamaki go into his little corner, and they're going to laugh at him for it."

"In their books, it's a compromise." Kyoya said, looking over at her.

"The argument is completely unresolved!" Mira said.

"It's as close as they get to a compromise." Kyoya reasoned, Mira paused.

"Are we having an argument about an argument?" She asked incredulously. Kyoya looked over at her in surprise.

"I think we are." He said, Mira groaned and shook her head.

" **What has become of me…?** " She asked herself softly, she gripped the steering wheel tighter and she slammed her foot down on the break as they came to a stop light, making everyone in the car lurch forward. "Okay!" She said, turning around in her seat, pointing at Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru, "Here's how it's gonna work! We are  _not_  going to the Empire State Building!" She pointed at Tamaki, who pouted sadly. The twins laughed victoriously, "And we're  _not_  going to Central Park, either!" She pointed at the twins and they gaped at her, "We are going somewhere New York is popular for, and you're  _not_  gonna whine about it like a bunch of  _five-year-olds_!  _Got it?_!" The three of them looked at her in fear at the sight of her 'Mira is not pleased' face. They nodded wordlessly and she turned back around in her seat.

"Good." She grunted, driving the car onward as the light turned green.

* * *

"Oooh!" Honey said in awe, "What a pretty statue!" He looked at the statue of Lady Liberty that stood a few miles away on a separate piece of land.

"Yes, and patriotic." Mira said from behind him, "It's a national monument that thousands of people come to see every year. It was made by some French guy a long time ago, don't ask me when or who."

"Was it?" Tamaki asked in surprise, coming up beside her. Mira nodded.

"If you want any real information," She began, "I suggest looking up a tour guide."

"And you'd be willing to pay for it all?" Kyoya asked, Mira glared at him.

"Shut up." She grunted.

" **Mirabella?** " A voice said, " **Mirabella Marino?** " Mira turned around to see who it was, grimaced, then turned back to her front, hiding her face behind her hand.

" **Oh,** _ **God**_ **no…** " She groaned.

"What is it?" Tamaki asked, looking to see a girl with her blonde hair in a thick braid. Her face was covered in make-up.

" **I don't believe my eyes.** " She said, a smile on her glossed lips, " **You** _ **actually**_ **came back to the states!** "

" **Hello, Katie.** " Mira said, putting on a fake smile and turning around.

" **Wow, I have to say, I'm surprised.** " Katie said, " **I didn't think you'd come back after what happened.** "

" **I didn't have any reason** _ **not**_ **to come back.** " Mira returned, " **So why shouldn't I have?** "

" **Oh, I'm not saying you shouldn't have.** " Katie said, " **I'm just saying that it's interesting that you did.** " The host club shrunk back from the two girls, seeing the sparks fly off from their 'inconspicuous' glares. It was very clear neither girl liked the other. Katie looked over at the host club, " **Was a Japanese tour guide the only job you could get when you came home? How sad.** " Mira's eyebrow twitched angrily.

" **Well, at least I didn't have to take an 'oral exam' in order to get a job.** " Mira said with a false smile. Katie's smile fell.

" **Hmph. Just as bitchy as ever, I see.** " She said, Mira snorted.

" **You're one to talk.** " Mira said, " **You're the** _ **queen**_ **of bitches. Everybody hates your guts.** " Katie's face bloomed in an angry blush.

" **Well, at least I actually don't look like I'm trying to become a** _ **man**_ **.** " Katie shot back, Mira scowled, " **I mean, look at you!** " She gestured to Mira's jeans and T-shirt, which, incidentally, was her brother's, " **You look like your tramp of a brother! Oh, wait, my mistake. Your** _ **sister's**_ **actually the tramp of the family, isn't she?** "

Mira clenched her fist and brought it up, punching her across the face and knocking her to the ground. The host club looked at her in shock.

"Mira-sempai!" The twins exclaimed, watching as she bent down and fisted her hand in Katie's tank top, bringing her face up to hers.

" **Me, you can insult all you want.** " She said in a growling voice, " **But** _ **never**_ **insult my family.** " Mira felt her arms being lifted and saw that each of the twins had grabbed onto one of her arms and pulled her off. Katie scrambled to stand up.

" **You'll be hearing from my attorney!** " She said as she ran off in her platform heels.

" **Get bent!** " Mira shouted after her.

"Mira-sempai!" The twins said, getting her attention.

"You need to calm down." Kyoya said, coming up next to her. She scowled at him, and moved her arms out of the twins' hold.

"I  _am_  calm." She grumbled, wiping off the sleeves of her shirt. She looked at the bystanders who were watching the spectacle. " **There's nothing to see here!** " She shouted at them, " **Go home!** " The people dispersed, ignoring them as they went about their business. Mira glared at the retreating back of Katie, "I never liked her." She started to walk away, "Come on, there's other stuff to see."

* * *

Mira fumed silently as she sat in almost unmoving traffic. She tapped her finger against the steering wheel incessantly. The rest of the host club was silent, still unsure of how to begin after what had happened.

"Mira-sempai…" Tamaki began quietly, Mira sighed.

"She was a bitch I knew from school, that's all." Mira said, "We're not bringing this up again."

"But Mira-chan," Honey said, "You got really upset. What did she say?" Mira let out a deep breath.

"Okay," She moved the car a few feet forward as the traffic moved, "When I was a sophomore, there were these girls that…" She let out a huff of air, "Set my sister up with this loser named Henry. He was a senior at the time, and he and Izzy started dating. After about six months… Henry convinced her to get in bed with him. When she told her friends the next day, they called her a whore and when it got to the high school… Let's just say that I found Katie and her friends paying Henry off. Apparently, she wanted to get back at Izzy for 'stealing her boyfriend'." She made quotes with her fingers when she said this, "When really, the girl he left her for was a girl named Isabella that was out of the state. She talked about how everyone would see her as the slut she is. When I found it out, I beat Henry to a pulp, and gave Katie her first swirly."

"What's that?" Honey asked.

"It's when you take someone and stick their head in a toilet and flush." Mira said bluntly as she turned the van off at the closest exit, heading up, "We're gonna take a little detour here."

"Didn't you get in trouble for that?" Tamaki asked in shock, Mira nodded.

"Yeah, I did." Mira said, "I got suspended for two weeks, and detention for three weeks after that. But you know what?" She smiled, "Totally worth it."

"As interesting as this story is…" Hikaru began.

"We're getting hungry." Kaoru said.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Mira asked, looking over her shoulder at the two.

"Take us somewhere famous!" They said, Mira rolled her eyes.

"I can't pay for 'famous' famous." Mira said, she paused, "Well, actually… I think I know the place where I can."

* * *

Mira happily took a sip from her soda as she and the host club sat in a cozy (small) coffee-shop like place called Tom's Restaurant. The host club was sitting down with two tables that had been pushed together. Tamaki and the twins looked around the restaurant curiously.

"Mira-sempai," Tamaki began, "How is this place a famous restaurant?"

"Yeah, this place is a dump." Hikaru said.

"Well, I can't exactly afford big and fancy foods." Mira said, giving him a dry look, "So I took you somewhere else. I promise you, it's famous."

"How?" Kaoru asked.

"This restaurant was used in a famous TV show." Mira said, "It's called Seinfeld."

"Never heard of it." The twins said bluntly, Mira shot them a glare to shut them up.

"Well, in America," She said, "The show is legendary, so it's famous. Now order something to eat or I'm going to order for you."

"I think it's kind of exciting." Tamaki said, "I've never heard authentic American food before! It's sure to be good."

"And fattening." Mira said, "Don't expect anything extraordinary. Which reminds me," She stood up, "I'm gonna go to the little girl's room before I eat."

"Hey, Mira-chan!" Honey said, catching her attention, "Do they have cake here?"

"I wouldn't bet on it." Mira said, "But they have pie, that's pretty good."

"Okay, pie it is!" Honey said, he looked over at his cousin, "Takashi, can you go see what kind of pies they have?"

"Honey, they won't understand a word he says." Mira said, she sighed, "Look, I'll go and check their pies for you, okay?"

"Take Takashi with you." Honey insisted, pushing Mori out of his chair, "He'll know what I like best."

"Alright." Mira said with an indifferent shrug, leading Mori with her to the counter to speak with the waitress who was working there at the moment. When the two of them were out of earshot, the host club members huddled together.

"Okay," Tamaki began seriously, "We need to put operation 'Romantic Getaway' in effect." He looked over at Kyoya, "Do you have any idea where she's taking us next?"

"If I had to guess," Kyoya said, going over some data in his cellphone, "The nearest place would be Central Park, so she'll most likely take us there."

"Okay." Tamaki nodded, he turned to the twins, "Hikaru, Kaoru, do you remember the plan?" The twins nodded.

"Yes, sir!" They said, saluting him.

"Once we get to the park, I'll fake a stomach ache." Kaoru said.

"I'll say we need to get him to the hotel," Hikaru said, "And ask Kyoya for the room key and cab fare."

"And I'll say that Honey is the one with the room key," Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses, "And that I'll need to go to the hotel with them to use the ATM to get more money for future cab rides."

"And I'll say that I don't want Usa-chan to get dirty, so I come with you." Honey said, hugging his stuffed bunny. Tamaki nodded in approval.

"And that's when I'll say that I left the spare room key at the hotel," He said, "So that gives me the excuse to go with you all."

"Leaving Mori-sempai and Mira-sempai all alone to a romantic walk in Central Park." The twins said, mischievous grins on their faces.

"And don't screw it up this time!" Tamaki said, "We won't be there for you two to cause Mira-sempai to have a wardrobe malfunction or something!" The twins pouted.

"Fine." They grumbled. Tamaki suddenly sat up straight.

"Mori-sempai approaching! Act natural!" He hissed, staying stiff as a board as Mori came over and took his seat next to his cousin.

"I got you some apple pie." Mori said, Honey smiled.

"Thanks, Takashi!" He said. Mori looked over at Tamaki to see him sitting stiff. He gave him an odd look, but didn't say anything.

* * *

Mira stepped out of the car and went over to where the host club members waited, "Alright, we'll walk around the park once, and then I'm heading home for dinner."

"That's fine by us, Mira-sempai." Tamaki said, smiling at her. Mira nodded and began to lead the way. They had only gotten twenty feet from the car when Kaoru began to moan in pain. Everyone looked back to see him hunched over, holding his stomach.

"Kaoru! What's wrong?" Hikaru asked, coming over to his brother.

"My stomach…" Kaoru groaned, "Oh, it hurts."

"Well, I'm not surprised." Mira said, "The way you two  _inhaled_  your food like that, you  _should_  have stomach aches."

"We need to get you back to the hotel room!" Hikaru said worriedly, he looked over at Kyoya, "Kyoya-sempai, we need the room key and cab fare!"

"Uh, I could just drive you to the hotel." Mira volunteered, "You don't have to take a cab."

"Hikaru, I don't have the room key." Kyoya said, "Remember? I gave it to Honey for safe-keeping." He adjusted his glasses, "Besides, I need to come with you. I need to use the hotel's ATM to get money for later on in this trip. I didn't think New York taxi cabs would be so expensive."

"I'll come too!" Honey said, he held up his pink bunny, "There's a lot of dirt in this place, and I don't want Usa-chan getting dirty."

"Oh!" Tamaki exclaimed, doing a very bad job of acting like he had just forgotten something, "You know what I just realized?" Everyone looked over at him, "I left the spare room key at the hotel! I should come with you and go get it." Mira raised a dubious eyebrow at the blonde. The twins rolled their eyes at his terrible acting. You'd think if he could get a legion of girls to fall into his arms, he would be able to act.

"Let's just get back to the hotel." Hikaru said.

"I'll hail a cab." Kyoya said, walking towards the street.

"Come on, Kaoru." Hikaru said, putting his brother's arm around his shoulder to help him to the street.

"Wait for us!" Honey said, grabbing Tamaki's hand and pulling him along. As they walked away, Honey turned back and said, "Oh, and Takashi, you stay here and keep Mira-chan company while we're gone." They went after the others. Mira stared at them incredulously.

"The van is  _right there_!" Mira said, pointing to it as they walked by it, "I could just drive you!" They pretended not to hear her as they walked away. Mira pursed her lips dubiously as they went out of sight, her hands on her hips. She looked over at Mori when they realized they were alone. "Just us, huh?" Mori nodded in agreement. Mira 'hmph'ed and crossed her arms across her chest, "I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that those idiots are trying to play matchmaker." Although neither of them heard it, both their hearts raced at the notion.

Mira would have loved the idea of walking around Central Park with just Mori. Just the two of them, surrounded by the park's natural beauty, talking- well, maybe her talking and him listening, but still! She wasn't sure, though, if he wanted to do the same. After all, he was only her classmate, and fellow club member. They may have been friends, but she wasn't completely sure if Mori even liked spending time with her. She looked away from him, twirling her neon blue streak around her finger.

Mori saw her do this, and his heart pounded even more at her cute, embarrassed expression. If she acted like this, did that mean she wanted to spend time with him? He smiled at the idea. Her and him, walking through the park, holding hands, enjoying each other's company… He really liked the idea. There was a chance the host club would try to set them up again, which he wouldn't mind  _at all_ , but this was now. Who knows when they would try it again? He held out his hand to her and she stared at it.

"Well, who are we to get in their way?" He said, Mira's eyes widened in surprise and looked up at him, seeing a small smile on his face. Was he… flirting with her? Did that mean he wanted to go on this walk with her? She smiled back at him.

"You're right." She said, "They probably planned out this whole day just to see if we would end up together." She took his hand, "It would be  _awful_  if all that planning went to waste." Mori led her down the paved path in the park, holding onto her hand.

The couple was completely unaware of the six pairs of eyes that were watching them.

"Yes!" The twins cheered happily, pumping their fists in the air.

"They're going for it!" Tamaki cheered. Kyoya said nothing as he watched the pair walk down the paved road. He nudged Tamaki's shoulder roughly, "Ow!" He rubbed the spot where he'd been hit.

"Come on," He said, "Let's leave them alone."

"Why?" Tamaki asked with a pout.

"They know we set them up." Kyoya said, "They'll be on the lookout for us the whole time. Just leave them alone." He walked away from them, the hosts looked at each other in confusion, but followed him as he hailed a cab to get them back to the hotel.

* * *

Mira and Mori walked through the park, still hand in hand, happily enjoying the silence between them. Mira looked over at him.

"So, have you ever been to America before?" She asked, figuring she should start a conversation. Mori shook his head, "I didn't think so." She walked a little closer to him, "You like it so far?" Mori smirked, pulling his hand from hers and putting it around her shoulders. Mira blushed furiously.

"I like this." Mori said, rubbing her shoulder and grinning at her red face.

"I-Is that so?" Mira said. This was the part of Mira that he liked the most. He knew that if any man she didn't know tried to do this with her, she'd push them away and hit them where the sun don't shine. It was only when  _he_  did something like this that she acted so cute and embarrassed. It made her all the more appealing to him. "Oh, look!" Mira said suddenly, pointing to a vendor that was selling some snacks, "Come on, let's get something to eat!" She ran from his arms towards the vendor. Mori smiled and followed her to him. She pulled out her wallet, "What do you want to eat?"

Mori shrugged, "Whatever you have."

"Okay…" Mira said, turning to the vendor, " **Two caramel apples, please.** "

" **You got it.** " The vendor said, pulling out two apples and handing them to her. She took them and gave one to Mori as she paid the man.

" **Thank you.** " She said as she and Mori walked away.

" **You two enjoy your date!** " The man said as he picked up his cart and moved away. Mira's face turned a bright red. She turned around and tried to stutter out an explanation.

" **No, he's not my- I mean, w-we're just friends and…** " She trailed off, seeing that he wasn't listening as he walked away, " **Never mind.** " She and Mori walked over to a bench that looked out over the either large pond or small lake in Central park. "You ever had caramel apples before?" Mori shook his head.

"I've hand candied apples." He said, looking at the fruit.

"Not the same." Mira said before taking a bite of the apple. She spoke again, her mouth full of fruit, "Try it, it's good." Mori shrugged and took a bite of the caramel apple. Mira waited for his reaction. He looked over and shrugged.

"It's okay." He said, Mira pouted.

"Oh, Japanese food has spoiled it for you." She said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. Mori let out a small laugh and kept eating the fruit, the two of them looking out over the body of water in front of them. Mira looked when she spotted an old couple in a boat, the woman sitting up front as the old man moved the boat forward with the oars, "Aww, would you look at that?" Mori looked up at the aged couple, "Isn't that sweet? That's how I want to be when I get married and turn into an old grandma." Mira took a bite of her caramel apple, "I still want to have that little spark with my husband and do something like that." She smiled as the two of them shared a short, but sweet kiss. Mori looked over at Mira, focusing on her smiling lips.

_Her smiling, pink, kissable lips._  His mind added. He imagined himself leaning in closer to her and putting his lips against those oh, so kissable ones and having her kiss him back. He was about to try, when Mira suddenly stood up.

"Come on," She said, holding out her hand to him, "There's a lot more park to see." He took her hand and got up, releasing it when he stood up. After Mira tossed her apple core into a nearby trashcan, she took hold of his hand again. He looked at her in surprise, and she smiled at him, "You don't mind, do you?"

Mori shook his head, "Not at all."

* * *

They walked through more of the park, looking up when they heard cheers. They saw a small group of skaters and skateboarders ahead of them on their path, enjoying the rails on the elevated walkways and gliding across the benches. Seeing Mira go ahead towards them without any hesitation, Mori did the same. They walked past the skaters, looking at some of the tricks they performed, not noticing that some of them were staring at Mira.

" **Ooh,** _ **mama**_ **.** " One of the skaters breathed, looking at Mira's jean covered behind.

" **I'd like a piece of** _ **that**_ **.** " The one next to him said. Mira paused and looked back at the skaters.

" **Excuse me?** " She asked. She glared at them when one of them wolf-whistled at her.

" _ **Awoooo**_ **!** " One boy said, sounding like a howling dog and making the others laugh.

" **Yeah! I like the way you move, baby!** " One cheered, Mira blushed angrily.

" **Perverts!** " She shouted at them, pulling Mori with her as she walked away faster. One of the skaters nudged one of his friends.

" **Dare ya to touch her ass.** " He said, nodding at Mira. His friend smirked, slapping his helmet on his head.

" **You're on.** " He said, he got on his skateboard and skated over to the couple, " **Look out!** " He made it look like she got caught in his path, and grabbed onto her butt cheek and squeezed. Mira gasped and slapped his hand away. He grinned and held up his hands defensively as he rode past her. " **Yo, my bad, honey.** " Mira glared at him as he began to ride around her.

" **I'm not your** _ **honey**_ **!** " Mira snarled, bringing up her fist and knocking him off his board. The other skaters looked at her in shock and she glared at them, " **Anyone else want to try and touch me?**!" The skaters instantly looked away, muttering out 'no's and other things. " **Didn't think so.** " She took hold of Mori's hand and started walking off again.

"What was that about?" Mori asked, Mira shook her head.

"Nothing, just a bunch of idiots being idiots." She said.

"He touched you." Mori said, growling a little.

"Again, idiots being idiots." Mira said, she looked over her shoulder at him, "Don't worry about it, okay?" Mori's face softened at the sight of hers, and he let the matter drop, "Oh, this is one of my favorite places." Mira said as they came up to a bridge. She walked right to the middle of it, smiling down at the road below the bridge, "I really like this spot." She moved so she would sit up on the railing, "When I was a little kid, my mom would always take us up on this bridge and we'd just sit here and talk about stuff." She swung her legs happily, "It was really fun." Mori smiled and came up next to her, leaning on the railing.

"You have a lot of good memories here." Mori mused, Mira nodded.

"Yeah…" She murmured, looking up at the sky. She sighed, "I  _really_  missed New York." Mori didn't say anything, he simply looked at her as she stared dreamily up at the sky. He reached over and had his hand cover hers, she looked over at him in surprise.

"You don't mind, do you?" Mori asked, a small grin on his face.

Mira smiled back, "Not at all." She hopped off the railing, entwining her fingers with Mori's, "Come on, there's still more to see." She pulled him along with her as they went around the bridge and down to the path beneath it. Mori looked up when he heard the sound of whirring wheels and saw a small group of men on bikes coming towards them at a very fast pace.

"Look out!" Mori exclaimed, pulling her back and out of their way. He overestimated the strength he would have to use to pull her back safely, and she went flying back, pulling him with her as she fell. Mira fell first onto the grass of the hill the bridge was sitting on, and Mori landed on top of her. The bikers rode past the two without so much as batting an eyelash, ignoring them completely.

Mori moved from his place and saw he was completely on top of Mira, his hands on either side of her head. They blushed at the suggestive position they were in. Mori was frozen in shock, he couldn't move. Mira couldn't move either, mostly because she was pinned under the handsome host.

"Um…" Mira began, "We should… probably get up now…" She moved to squirm out from under him, but Mori reached for her hand and grabbed it.

"Not yet." He said, "Let's stay like this for a little longer." Mira blushed furiously.

"B-But…" She stuttered, "People might s-see us and get the wrong idea…" In truth, the area they were in was empty for the time being. They were completely alone. Mori leaned in closer to the blushing girl's face.

"Who cares?" He asked quietly, Mira's blush deepened.

"But… Takashi…" She murmured, Mori smiled.

"You're so cute." That's when he leaned in closer and did what he had been dying to do for a good amount of time.

He kissed her.

He felt the warmth of her lips on his, and he felt his heart soar into the sky. He had never felt so blissful before. Having her soft lips on his was absolute heaven. He gently entwined his fingers with hers, and she did the same, holding onto his hand. He thought he was going to die from happiness when he felt her lips move against his, kissing him back. Mira had never been kissed like this before. As a matter of fact, she had never been kissed at all, and being with Mori made it the best in all her life. She felt as if her heart might give out at any second because it was beating so fast. Having Mori's hand hold hers was total delight. It felt as though their hands were made to hold each other. She took her other arm, and wrapped it around his neck, pulling him closer. Mori supported himself on his knees as he used his free hand to wrap around her waist and bring her closer to him.

When they finally pulled away from the heart-stopping kiss, they looked at each other through hooded, cloudy eyes, taking in deep breaths.

"I think… I love you." Mori said softly.

"…Me too." Mira said just as softly as he did. She blushed again and Mori let out a small laugh, he leaned in and kissed her again. This time, though, it was a light, affectionate peck instead of the passionate kiss he had given her a second ago. He moved off of her, still holding her hand and pulling her up with him. He still held her hand when she stood and they walked down the path together.

They walked in silence, with the two of them gravitating towards each other with every step, until they were linking arms and walking close together.

* * *

Mira looked up as she and Mori came closer to the hotel he and the other hosts were staying in. Mori smiled and opened the car door, stepping out.

"Um, hey," Mira said, catching his attention, "I know it's sort of late, but…" She blushed again, "Do you want to be my boyfriend?" Mori smirked and leaned back into the car, kissing her cheek, smiling as her blush became an even deeper shade of red, "I-I guess that's a 'yes'." Mori shut the door behind him.

"See you tomorrow." He said, walking towards the hotel. Mira nodded, watching him leave.

"Mm-hmm…" She murmured. When Mori was out of earshot, her brain had registered what he had just said and jumped, "Wait, tomorrow? But I'm supposed to visit my mom tomorrow!"


	26. Chapter 26 - Mirabella's Mama

26

Mori knocked on the door of the suite he and the other hosts were sharing. His cousin opened the door and smiled at him, "Hi Takashi!" He petted his hair as he came in, smiling like he had when he left Mira. The club noticed it right away.

"So, Mori-sempai," The twins began, leaning on the couch with sly grins on their faces, "How was your  _date_  with Mira-sempai?" The waited for him to blush, refuse the very idea that they were on a date, and walk away into a separate room. But he didn't. Instead, he looked over at them with that smile and gave them a thumbs-up. Everyone in the room gaped at him as he went to sit down near the window.

"Wait, Mori-sempai," Tamaki said, coming over to him, "Are you actually acknowledging the time you spent with Mira-sempai as a  _date_?" Mori turned his gaze to the window and nodded.

"What happened, Takashi?" Honey asked, coming up to him. Mori's smile grew in the slightest.

"We kissed." He said.

That one comment sent the room into a frenzy.

"EHHH?" Tamaki exclaimed.

"You  _KISSED?_!" The twins shouted, Hikaru fell off of the couch in surprise. His brother was in too much shock to notice.

"Hooray!" Honey shouted, tossing up his bunny in joy.

"…" Kyoya was completely silent, gaping slightly at Mori.

"What happened?" Kaoru asked, coming over to him.

"How did it happen?" Hikaru asked, scrambling to come over to his side. Mori smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.

"You won't tell us?" The twins exclaimed in a sort of angry shock.

" _What did you do to my precious daughter?_!" Tamaki growled, instantly thinking the worst.

"As I recall," Kyoya's calm voice said over the group, "Mori-sempai is the type that doesn't 'kiss and tell'."

* * *

Mira shut the front door behind her, her face still a bit pink. She touched her lips, feeling them tingle as she remembered her kiss with Mori. She smiled a bit to herself and walked into the living room, where her brothers, sister, and younger cousin sat.

" **There you are!** " Isabella said, watching her walk in and sitting down in a recliner chair, " **Where've you been all day? Jamal and Janelle called for you a thousand times while you were gone!** "

" **I was busy…** " Mira replied dazedly, a smile still on her face as she looked at the TV without really seeing it. Her brothers noticed this odd behavior, and became suspicious. Alfonso nodded to Isabella and she got up and grabbed her sister's face, making her look at her. She stared in her eyes for a few seconds, Mira staring confusedly back. Suddenly, she gasped and stepped back.

" **You met a boy!** " She exclaimed, pointing at Mira's face. She blushed instantly.

" **What? No!** " She said instantly, " **I didn't meet a boy!** "

" **You met a boy?** " Alfonso asked, taking his little cousin out of his lap and into Kenneth's before he stood up and walked over to her, " **Who is it? What did he do?** "

" **I didn't meet anyone!** " Mira insisted, she blushed a little more and looked away, " **I already knew him…** "

Isabella squealed girlishly at the words, " **Who is it?** " She demanded.

" **Is it one of your freakish friends?** " Alfonso asked in a growling voice, " **I swear to God, if one of those perverts touched you…!** "

" **He's not a pervert!** " Mira said quickly, " **He's a nice guy!** "

Isabella gasped suddenly, " **Is it one of the host club guys?** " She asked, Mira's blush deepened. Alfonso saw this and looked at her in a way a father would look at a guilty child.

" **Is it?** " He asked, Mira took in a deep breath.

" **Yes.** " She said, Isabella squealed loudly, jumping up and down in glee.

" _ **What?**_ **!** " Alfonso growled out, " **Who is it? Which one of those sons of-** "

" _ **Alfonso**_ **!** " Kenneth hissed, putting his hands over Julia's ears, " **Kid in the room!** "

" **Right, sorry.** " Alfonso said, " **Which one of those** _ **freaks**_ **,** " He strained the word while looking at his brother, who rolled his eyes as he took his hands off of Julia's ears, " **Touched you?** "

" **One: he's not a freak, he's a gentleman.** " Mira said, holding up her index finger, " **Two…** " She held up her second finger and sighed, " **It's Takashi.** "

" **Takashi Morinozuka?** " Isabella asked, Mira nodded in confirmation, " **I'm so happy for you!** "

" **Which one is he?** " Kenneth asked.

" **The really tall one who does kendo with me and doesn't talk a lot.** " Mira said, Kenneth nodded.

" **Right, I remember him.** " He said, " **He's a decent guy.** "

" **Well, how would you know?** " Alfonso said, Kenneth sighed as he covered Julia's ears again.

" **He was the one who put Mira in the ambulance when she got stabbed.** " Kenneth said, " **He's also the one that pulled out the knife, and used his jacket to stop the bleeding,** _ **and**_ **he was one of the first people on the scene.** " He removed his hand from Julia's ears.

" **Oh, yeah.** " Alfonso said, " **I forgot about that.** " He turned back to Mira, " **But I wanna get to know this guy.** "

" **Al, I thought you trusted me.** " Mira said.

" **I** _ **do**_ **trust you.** " He said, " **It's _those_  guys I don't trust.**" Mira rolled her eyes and got up from her seat, " **Where do you think you're going?** "

" **To my room.** " Mira said, " **I'm exhausted.** "

" **We're not done yet!** " Alfonso said, going after her, " **Get back here!** " Isabella watched them run up the stairs before she looked back at her brother.

" **How long do you think he'll be up there?** " She asked, Kenneth shrugged.

" **Who knows?** " He said, " **The last time Mira talked about a crush, he wouldn't shut up about it for days.** " Isabella nodded her head in agreement.

" **True.** " She said, going over and sitting next to him. Kenneth looked down at Julia when she tugged on his shirt.

" **Yes, Julia?** " He asked, looking down at her.

" **Kenny, you're really smart, right?** " Julia asked.

" **I like to think so.** " Kenneth said with a smile.

" **Then what's a pervert?** " She asked, Kenneth's smile fell and turned into a grimace.

* * *

Mira dialed in Kyoya's number, ignoring the loud knocks on her bedroom door.

" **I said no, Al!** " She shouted at him through the door, waiting for Kyoya to pick up.

" **And** _ **I**_ **said I'm not done yet!** " Alfonso said, Mira rolled her eyes.

" **Idiot.** " She grumbled, listening as the ringing stopped.

"Hello?" Kyoya's voice said on the other end of the line.

"Kyoya, it's me." Mira said, "Listen, I can't do any touring stuff tomorrow."

"Oh? Why not?" Kyoya asked.

"Because I have my own things to do while I'm here!" Mira snapped, "This is my home, in case you forgot!"

"And what are these things, exactly?" Kyoya asked.

"Mind your own business!" Mira said. She knew that if she told them she was going to visit her sick mother, they would all want to tag along to meet her. It was bad enough her father had to meet them, she didn't want her mother to see them at all.

"Now, now, is that any way to answer?" Kyoya asked in a taunting sort of voice. Mira's eyebrow twitched angrily, "Just tell me what you're doing and I'll make sure the rest of the club doesn't find out and we'll leave you alone."

"Yeah, right." Mira scoffed.

" **Are you talking to him?** " Alfonso demanded through the door, " **You better give me the phone!** "

" **Shut up already!** " Mira shouted at him. She turned her attention back to the phone, "Look, just don't come over tomorrow and tell me to take you somewhere, because I won't be here!" She hung up the phone with a sound of finality and turned her attention to her brother at her door, " **Will you give it a rest?** "

* * *

Kyoya stared at his phone when he heard the dial tone coming from the other end. He narrowed his eyes at his cellphone and let out a thoughtful hum. Tamaki heard it and looked over at him.

"Kyoya? Is something wrong?" He asked, Kyoya hung up his phone and put it in his pocket.

"That was Mira-sempai," He said, her name caught Mori's attention, "Apparently, she's doing something tomorrow she doesn't want us to know about."

"Do you think she's in trouble?" Tamaki asked worriedly.

"Oh, come on, Boss." Kaoru said, "The last time we thought she was 'in trouble'…" He made quotes with his fingers.

"She was just taking dance lessons in a shady warehouse." Hikaru finished, "It's probably nothing."

"As much as that may be true," Kyoya said, "I  _am_  a bit concerned. Anything can happen in New York, after all." He took out a pen and scribbled something down in his notebook.

* * *

_The next day…_

" **C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!** " Mira said, pushing her one-shoed brother out the door, " **Let's move!** "

" **Will you stop for five seconds?** " Alfonso demanded exasperatedly, pushing her hands away, " **Let me get my other shoe on. What's the rush anyway?** " He sat down on a nearby chair and began to tie his shoe, " **I know you're anxious to see Mom and all, but aren't you pushing it a bit?** "

" **I just want to hurry and get to the hospital.** " Mira said, glancing towards the door. She expected the host club to come bursting in at any moment and ruin her day. She didn't trust them enough as a whole to think that they would listen to her when she told them not to come to her house.

" **Okay,** _ **now**_ **we can go.** " Alfonso said, finishing the knot on his shoe and standing up.

" **Then let's _go_.** " Mira said, pushing him forward.

" **Enough with the pushing, already!** " Alfonso said, moving her hands away.

* * *

Mira looked around the hospital waiting room once she and her family had entered. She saw no one from the club was there, which was a pleasant surprise. She smiled a little to herself, maybe they actually listened to her this time. They walked over to a desk near the waiting room, saying they'd like to visit Leanne Marino. The nurse manning the desk at the time told them she had just undergone some treatment, and wouldn't be up to doing anything too strenuous. They said it was fine, so she told them her room number and they went up to her room. On their way, they passed a vending machine and Mira nudged her brother.

" **I'm gonna get a snack from the vending machines.** " Mira said, " **I'll be right there.** " Kenneth nodded.

Mira went over to the vending machines and put in a dollar, she took her time deciding what she would want to eat, and didn't notice somebody's shadow beginning to cover her body as they came up behind her. She made her selection and happily pulled out a bag of M&M's and turned around. She yelped at the sight of the people behind her, then she scowled.

"I  _knew_  something like this was going to happen!" She growled angrily at the host club, "You followed me here, didn't you?" She pushed past them roughly.

"Only because we were worried about you!" Tamaki insisted, pulling her into a hug. Mira elbowed his gut and he released her.

"How did you find me?" She demanded, then she held up her hands, "On second thought, I don't want to know. It was probably illegal."

"Not in America, it's not." Kyoya said with a smirk, "You got to love the 'Land of the Free'." Mira glared at him.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" She asked.

"Well, when you called me yesterday and didn't give a proper explanation as to why you couldn't tour us around," Kyoya explained, "We had reason to be concerned."

"I can take care of myself." Mira said, crossing her arms over her chest, her candy still in her hand.

"But, when Kyoya said it was a hospital...!" Tamaki said, "We were worried something might have happened to you!"

"Nothing happened!" Mira said, "I'm fine!"

"Then, is your sister in the hospital?" The twins asked, Mira shook her head.

"No!" She groaned, "I'm not here for my  _sister_ , I'm here for my  _mother_!" The host club looked at her in surprise.

"Your mom?" Honey repeated in surprise.

"Yes!" Mira said, she gestured to Kyoya, "Hasn't he told you about it by now? I'm sure he already knows, with his freakish sources." She glared at him when she said the last part, he did not reply.

"Your mother's been in the hospital all this time?" Kaoru asked in surprise.

"Why haven't we met her before?" Hikaru asked.

"Because she's too sick to leave this hospital!" Mira explained exasperatedly, "Much less, the country!"

"Well, we'd better go get acquainted with her." Tamaki said, about to walk past her to go to her mother's room, when Mira grabbed his shirtsleeve and pulled him back.

"Oh, no, no, no,  _no_." She said, " _You_  are not going to meet my mother.  _None_  of you are going to meet my mother." Tamaki pouted.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because I don't want her to meet you and freak her out to a point where she has cardiac arrest!" Mira said, as an afterthought she added, "No offense to you," She pointed to Honey, "Or you," She pointed to Mori, "But offense to the rest of  _you_." She pointed to everyone else in the club. Kaoru looked mildly offended at the comment, but said nothing.

" **Mira, what's taking so- oh!** " Isabella's voice came down from the hallway, and she walked over to her when she saw the host club, "Hi guys!" Tamaki greeted her in his usual princely manner.

"Hello, Isabella-chan." He said, he took her hand and kissed it, making her blush, "How good it is to see you again."

"What are you guys doing here?" Isabella asked.

"We want to see Mira-chan's mom!" Honey said cheerily. Mira quickly shook her head, slicing her hand across her neck to get him to stop talking.

"Oh, really?" Isabella asked, "Well, I'm sure she'd be delighted to see you all!"

"No!" Mira shouted, she took her sister by the shoulder, " **Izzy, we need to talk.** " She moved her away from the host club and spoke to her in a hushed tone, " **We can't let them in there to see her!** "

" **Why not?** " Isabella asked.

" **Because! It's bad enough Dad met them, I don't want Mom meeting them!** " Mira said, " **Do you know how humiliating it is that they followed me to America and turned me into** _ **their own personal tour guide?**_ **!** "

" **Oh, now that's just mean.** " Isabella said, turning away from her and walking back over to the host club.

" **No! Izzy!** " Mira hissed, coming after her and pulling her back, " **This is going to be the only chance I get this month to actually have a day to myself! Don't** _ **ruin**_ **this for me!** " Isabella rolled her eyes.

" **Oh, honestly Mira.** " She scoffed, " **It's just** _ **one**_ **day, how bad can it be?** " She turned back to the host club and went just out of her sister's reach. She smiled at the host club, "Our mother would be thrilled to see you. I can show you where her room is."

"Thank you, Isabella-chan." Tamaki said with a princely flourish, making her blush, "You are ever so kind."

"You're so sweet, Tamaki-kun." Isabella said, tucking some of her light brown hair behind her ear. She turned and began to lead them to her mother's room. Mira followed behind her, although a bit reluctant. Mori came up next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She blushed a bit, and smiled at him.

"You just came to try and kiss me again, didn't you?" She asked in a playful tone. Mori smirked and bent down a little to kiss the top of her head.

"Maybe." He said, Mira chuckled quietly to herself.

* * *

As the group approached the hospital room, Mira stood in front of all the hosts. "Okay, this is where you stop."

"Mira…" Isabella began, Mira turned to her.

" **Be quiet.** " She said sternly before turning back to the hosts, "Izzy said you could see my Mom, she never said  _anything_  about meeting her!"

" **Mira!** " Isabella admonished.

" **I'm playing off a loophole with this,** _ **let me have it**_ **!** " Mira hissed at her. Isabella rolled her eyes in exasperation, "You can stand in the doorway, but you  _cannot_  come in!"

" **I don't believe this…** " Isabella muttered.

"You got that?" Mira asked them. Tamaki pouted childishly.

"But, Mira-sempai," He began, with a whining undertone.

"Don't even start!" Mira threatened, pointing at him, "You'll stay out here! Got it?"

"Fine…" He grumbled, crossing his arms stubbornly. Mira nodded once in approval.

"Good." She said, with that, she and Isabella walked into the hospital room. The twins were the first ones to poke their heads in the doorway, the rest of the club following shortly. They saw Mira walk over to a woman who either was in her very late 40's or early 50's, with long, light brown hair that was graying slightly. She kissed Mira's cheek before she hugged her.

" **Hi, honey.** " She greeted.

" **Hi Mom.** " Mira greeted back.

" **How is everything in Japan?** " She asked.

Mira shrugged, " **Could be better.** " She said, her shoulders slumped, " **You could be there.** "

" **Oh, Mira…** " Her mother murmured, " **You know if I could, I would. You have no idea how badly I've missed you all.** " Her gaze trailed behind Mira and she saw the host club sticking their heads through the door, " **Who are they?** " Mira looked back.

" **They're just some guys from school.** " She said in a bored tone, " **Nothing special.** "

" **From Ouran Academy?** " She questioned, Mira nodded. Her mother smiled and began beckoning them inside, "Please, boys, come in." Her family looked at her with wide eyes.

" **Mom, when did you learn Japanese?** " Alfonso questioned, his mother shrugged.

" **When you have nothing to do but lay in a hospital bed,** " She said, " **It doesn't hurt to learn other languages.** " She turned to the host club, "So, who are you boys?"

"Allow me to introduce myself," Tamaki said with a princely flourish. Mira groaned and smacked her hand on her forehead, "I am Tamaki Suoh. President of the Ouran High School Host Club." He took her hand in his princely way, "It's a pleasure to meet the mother of such wonderful children."

"My, such a gentleman." Mira's mother mused with a smile.

"I'm Hikaru Hitachiin." Hikaru said, pointing to himself.

"No, wait, I'm Hikaru." Kaoru said, he pointed to his twin, "You're Kaoru."

"Or maybe," They said, spinning and switching places, "It's the other way around?" Mira's mother chuckled.

"Oh, how funny!" She said.

"I'm Kyoya Ootori." Kyoya introduced, holding out his hand for her to shake, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Marino."

"So polite." Mira's mother said, shaking his hand.

"I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka!" Honey introduced from beside Mori, "But everyone calls me Honey!" He held up his bunny, "And this is Usa-chan!"

"Oh! Aren't you cute?" Mira's mother cooed.

"Mom, he's my age." Mira said bluntly, her mother looked over at her in surprise.

" _Really_?" She asked, Mira nodded.

"And this is Takashi Morinozuka," Honey continued, gesturing to his cousin, "But everyone calls him Mori." He bowed to her and she nodded back, seeing as that was all she could do from a hospital bed.

"A pleasure to meet you." Mori said.

"The same to you." She replied, she turned to Isabella, "Are these your friends, sweetheart?"

"No, they're Mira's friends." Isabella said, looking over at Mira. She groaned.

"How many times do I have to say it?" She asked, "They're  _not_  my friends!"

"Oh, yes they are." Isabella said, "You see them every day!"

"Shut up." Mira said.

"And one of them is your boyfriend." She said slyly.

"Shut up!" Mira snapped.

"You have a boyfriend?" Mira's mother asked.

"He's not-" She paused, "I mean, we just started going out… Nothing's set in stone yet."

"You kissed." Isabella said slyly.

"What part of 'shut up' do you not understand?" Mira demanded.

"You know, we still haven't talked about that." Alfonso said.

"Okay, now  _you_  shut up." Mira said, pointing at him.

"Don't tell your big brother to shut up!" Alfonso snapped. They stopped arguing when they heard their mother laughing.

"Well, it's refreshing to see you haven't changed too much since you left." She said, smiling at the two. They smiled back at her, "So, Mira, which one is the lucky boy?" Mira blushed.

"He is." She said, pointing to Mori. Her mother smiled sweetly at him.

"He's cute." She said in an encouraging tone. Mori looked at her in mild surprise.

"Mom!" Mira almost squealed out, "Don't say he's 'cute'! That's so weird!" Her mother laughed.

"I'm sorry, Mira." She said, "I don't mean to embarrass you."

"Too late." Alfonso said with a snicker, Mira smacked his shoulder, "What? It's true!"

Everyone looked over at Mr. Marino when his phone began to go off. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone.

"Uh, sir!" One of the nurses said, "You can't take that call in here. Go outside and turn your phone off before you come back in!"

"Uh, yes, I'm sorry." He said quickly, going out of the room and answering his phone.

"Wonder what that was about?" Mira asked aloud. Alfonso shrugged.

"It's dad. Who knows?" He said, "So, Mom, how have things been here?"

"Oh, as boring as they always are." Her mother replied, "I can't leave the room unless I'm attached to an IV and wheeled out by the staff." She sighed, "It makes me feel like a senior citizen."

"Well, with all due respect, Mom," Kenneth said, "You  _are_  getting pretty close to that age." Her mother gaped at him.

"Are you saying I'm old?" She asked him. Kenneth became flustered, much to the amusement of his siblings.

"Uh, well, what I meant was-" He tried to stutter out an explanation, and his siblings began to laugh. He glared at them, but stopped when his mother began to laugh.

"Oh, relax, Ken." She said, "I know I'm getting old. I was just teasing." Kenneth let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good." He said. He looked up when his father came back into the room.

"Guys, we gotta go." He said.

"What? Now?" Isabella whined.

"Dad, we  _just_  got here." Alfonso said.

"I know, and now we have to leave." Their father said, "I'm sorry, it's an emergency at the headquarters, and I can't leave all you kids here. We have to go." Everyone collectively groaned.

"Figures. We come here on vacation, and Dad visits his headquarters instead." Alfonso muttered to Kenneth.

"Just walk." Kenneth said, pushing him forward. Everyone began to file out of the room, Mira staying behind without anyone realizing it. Her mother looked at her questioningly as she turned to her, pulling something out of her pocket.

" **Here.** " She said, handing her a picture. Her mother looked to see it was a picture of her and Kazuma in their matching outfits standing together, Mira holding a bouquet of flowers, and Kazuma holding a silver trophy.

" **What's this?** " She asked, seeing it.

" **It's a picture of me and my dance partner.** " Mira said, " **We competed in a swing-dance competition and won second place.** " Mira's mother gasped and put her hand on her heart with a smile on her face.

" **Oh, Mira.** " She murmured, " **You look so beautiful.** " She leaned over and kissed her forehead, " **I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. Congratulations. I wish I could have been there to watch.** "

" **Me, too.** " Mira said, she moved and hugged her mother, " **I love you, Mom.** "

" **Oh, I love you, too, baby.** " Mira's mother said, hugging her back. She kissed her cheek, " **You'd better get going. I'll see you later, okay?** "

" **Okay.** " Mira said, getting up, " **Bye.** "

" **Bye.** " Her mother returned, waving to her as she went out the door.


	27. Chapter 27 - Another day in New York!

27

_The next morning…_

" _Mira-sempai~_!" Tamaki sang happily as he knocked on the door to the house she was staying in, "Let's go! We let you have all of yesterday off because of your mom, but now it's  _our turn~_!" He was surprised when no one answered the door. "Mira-sempai?"

"Hey, Boss," The twins said, getting his attention by pointing to a note on the door. He reached over and opened it, the host club read the note (Which was in Japanese) over his shoulder.

_Dear Host Club,_

_Today's Sunday, so we've all gone to church,_

_as per Aunt Eva's orders. If you're looking for Mira,_

_she couldn't come because today's her day for baby-_

_sitting Julia and the Sunday school services weren't_

_happening today for some reason…_

_Anyway! Mira and Julia are inside having fun._

_The door should be open. If it's locked, the key is_

_under the mat. Take good care of them today!_

_With love,_

_Isabella_

"Oh." Tamaki said once he'd finished reading it. He reached for the doorknob and found it wouldn't open. Honey reached down and pulled the key out from under the welcome mat and held it up to Tamaki, "Thank you, Honey-sempai." He took it and unlocked the door. When he opened the door, he was surprised to hear the muffled sounds of music. The host club followed the sound of the music to the living room, where the sound system for the TV had been turned into a CD-player, with the music turned up very loud. What surprised them the most about the room was that both Julia and Mira were still in their pajamas, and that they were bouncing around the room to the music acting like a couple of idiots, singing along to the words.

Mira was in a large T-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants and Julia was wearing a simple pair of pink and white striped PJ's. Mira's hair was down and flopping everywhere as she shook her head with the music, along with having her arms move around, and her hips shaking. Julia was just jumping up and down in a dance that only little kids could make look good. Mira sung into a hairbrush, pretending it was a microphone, and Julia was trying to get the words right as she sung it, although, their voices couldn't be heard over the loud music.

" _ **Well it's this sort of thing that gets me**_

_**to lose my mind** _

_**and it's the flash,** _

_**flashy eyes that make** _

_**it worthwhile.** _

_**and every time when we** _

_**we get together** _

_**we just fall in love again!** _

" _ **All in all it's the perfect scene!**_

_**and there's not anywhere that I would rather be** _

_**and it's now** _

_**now or never when we're chasing our dreams** _

_**And oh!** _

_**We're getting close now don't turn away!**_ "

The twins couldn't bear it anymore, and began to laugh. Mira instantly stopped and turned around, her eyes widening at the sight of the host club.

"Nice dancing, Mira-sempai!" The twins taunted, imitating the way she danced. Mira blushed furiously and ran towards them.

" _You're DEAD!_!" She shouted, jumping over a couch to get to them. They ran away from her, going down the hallway. Julia squealed in laughter at the display as they ran around the house. She fell over in laughter when Mira finally managed to catch one and put him in a headlock. As the twin was struggling to get out, his back pressed against her chest, and he felt something different about the other times, and he blushed.

"M-Mira-sempai!" Kaoru said, "A-Are you not wearing a bra?" Mira's entire face went red and she released him, covering up her chest with her arms. Mori took in a sharp breath and he walked over to Mira, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"God, you twins are such  _perverts_!" Mira screamed, she moved out of Mori's arms and picked up her cousin, "Why are you guys even here, anyway?"  
"We want to see more of New York!" Honey said, Mira groaned.

"It's my baby-sitting day." She said, "I can't."

"Just bring her with us." Tamaki suggested, smiling at Julia, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind spending a day with a bunch of big kids. Would you, Julia-chan?"

"She can't speak Japanese, you idiot." Mira said in a dull tone.

"I can too!" Julia said, Mira looked at her in shock, "But me not too good at it."

" **Julia, when did you learn Japanese?** " Mira asked.

" **A while ago.** " Julia said, " **Mommy taught me.** " She looked over at the host club, " **Who are they?** "

" **They're some guys from my school.** " Mira explained, " **And… I guess I'm taking them on a field trip.** " Julia gasped excitedly.

" **Can I come?** " She asked, jumping up and down in Mira's arms.

" **Yeah, you just gotta get dressed first.** " Mira said, putting her cousin down, " **I'll come up and get you something to wear once I'm dressed.** "

" **Okay.** " Julia said, running up to her room. Mira sighed and turned to the host club.

"I'm going to get dressed, if I see any of you come up and peek on me, I'll slit your throat." Mira threatened as she walked up the stairs.

* * *

Mira walked down the stairs in a pair of jeans and T-shirt, with her hair up in its usual ponytail. Julia was wearing a little purple summer jumper with her little pigtails up high on her head, little white tennis shoes were on her feet. She was hanging onto Mira's neck as she carried her down the stairs. She stopped in front of the host club.

"Okay, since we're going out with Julia, there is going to be rules." She said sternly, "One: we can only go to places that are family friendly. Two: If we're going to eat somewhere, it has to be a place with food that kids can eat. Three: You're going to make room in the car because I have to put in her car seat, and you're not going to whine about it like you're  _her_  age." She pointed to Julia.

"Don't we have to watch her?" Tamaki asked, "What if she wanders off?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Mira said, she reached behind her and pulled out what looked like a small teddy bear backpack with an extra-long strap, "I brought her leash."

"She has a leash?" Tamaki asked in surprise, Mira nodded.

"Yes, they make leashes for kids." She said, she put Julia down on the floor, "So, you guys wait here while I go get everything ready."

* * *

"So, where are we going?" Mira asked everyone once she pulled out of the driveway.

"Somewhere fun!" The twins said excitedly. Mira rolled her eyes.

"I know that, but where?" She asked, "Give me something specific."

"What about this 'Ground Zero Museum' we've heard about?" Kyoya asked. Mira shook her head.

"Too depressing." She said, "Somewhere else."

"What about a dance club?" Hikaru asked.

" _No_!" Mira said in disgust, "We have a kid with us for Christ's sake!"

"Coney Island!" Julia shouted from her spot in the back seat nearest to the front. Mira considered this for a moment.

"Ooh! A theme park!" Tamaki said excitedly, "That sounds like fun!"

"What kind of food will be there?" Honey asked from his spot next to Julia.

"It's a theme park, Honey-sempai." Kaoru said, "There's bound to be all sorts of sweets there."

"Yay!" Honey said, "Let's go there, Mira-chan!"

"I don't know…" Mira said, "You have to be 42 inches to ride most of those rides, and Julia hasn't really gotten past three feet yet. She'll get bored."

"Let go anyway!" Julia said, "I got Miwa, so I not get bored." Mira snorted at her poor Japanese.

"Okay, Coney Island it is." She said, "I could use a chili-cheese Coney, anyhow."

* * *

"Ooh! They all look like fun!" Tamaki exclaimed, seeing all the rides, "Which one should we go on first?"

"Hang on a second." Mira said, kneeling down next to her cousin, "I have to put Julia's leash on."

" **I hate the leash.** " Julia pouted, crossing her arms.

" **I know, kiddo,** " Mira said, " **But it's for your own good.** " Mira clipped the last part of the leash on Julia's back. When it was done, she ruffled her hair, " **You'll see when you're older. Okay?** "

" **Okay…** " Julia grumbled. Mira, in an attempt to cheer her up, picked her up in her arms and bounced her a little, making her giggle.

" **C'mon!** " She said, " **Don't be so pouty! It's an amusement park. This is happy time!** " She bounced her again, " **Let me see a smile on that face!** " Julia laughed and Mira smiled, " **That's more like it.** " She moved her so Julia would sit on her shoulders, " **Now let's have some fun!** "

" **Yeah!** " Julia cried in agreement, Mira walked over to the host club.

"Okay, so what's first?" She asked.

"You're the New Yorker," Kyoya said, "You tell us." Mira smirked.

"How do you feel about roller coasters?" She asked.

* * *

Julia pouted angrily as she sat next to Mira near the rollercoaster, " **I told you you'd be too short to go on a lot of the rides.** " Mira said, " **Don't get so upset. You're not missing out on much anyway. Rollercoasters aren't that fun.** " She was lying when she said that, of course. She loved rollercoasters. When Julia still didn't seem to stop pouting, she sighed, " **Want something to eat?** " Julia shook her head stubbornly, Mira didn't buy it, " **Want some funnel cakes?** " She shook her head, " **Ice cream?** " She seemed to like that and Mira got up, " **Let's go get you some ice cream.** "

" **Okay.** " Julia said, taking her hand and walking with her over to the ice cream stand, which wasn't too far from where they were waiting for the host club. What they didn't see as they were leaving was that the host club's ride was over, and they were coming out.

Tamaki swayed a bit as he walked, not used to rollercoaster rides. He leaned on the bench that Mira and Julia had been sitting on previously, groaning.

"Never again." He moaned, "Never,  _never_  again." The twins laughed at him.

"Oh, come on, Boss." Hikaru said, coming up next to him, "It wasn't that bad."

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed, "It could've been worse. You could've puked."

"Oh,  _don't talk about that_!" Tamaki groaned, collapsing on the bench dramatically. The twins laughed at his display. Honey looked around the group of people that were wandering around Coney Island, not seeing someone he wanted to see.

"Where's Mira-chan?" He asked, "I said I'd look after Juli-chan so she could go on the roller coaster after us." This was when the hosts seemed to notice her absence among them.

"Where  _is_  Mira-sempai?" Kyoya asked, looking around, "She said she'd meet us out here when we were done."

Tamaki gasped, "She's been kidnapped!" This was when the twins noticed her and Julia coming back to the bench, hand-in-hand, Julia holding an ice cream cone.

"Uh, Boss…" They said, trying to get his attention.

"Some horrible monster has kidnapped her and Julia-chan!" Tamaki went on, ignoring them.

"Boss." The twins said again, pointing to Mira and Julia when they came up next to him.

"We need to start a search party!" Tamaki went on, "Who knows what's happening to them right now! They could be terrified! Some disgusting man has kidnapped them and he's going to hold them for a ransom of 50,000 American dollars!"

"What happened  _this_  time?" Mira asked, looking over at the twins for an explanation.

"He thought you were kidnapped." They explained, not seeing Tamaki look over at them.

"Why?" Mira asked, her question was answered after Tamaki encased her in a large hug.

"Mira-sempai!" He cried, shedding dramatic tears of joy, "You're okay! We got so worried when we came back to the meeting spot and you weren't there!"

Mira punched him, making him let her go, "I just went to get some ice cream!" She said, planting her free hand on her hip.

"Ice cream?" Tamaki repeated, rubbing the spot she had hit.

"Yeah." Mira said, "Julia was a little upset about not being able to ride the big kid rides, so I got her some ice cream to cheer her up." They all looked down at Julia, whose mouth was covered in the strawberry ice cream that she had gotten. " **Uh, kiddo, you got…** "

" **Hmm?** " Julia looked up at her.

" **You got a little smudge right there and…** " She sighed, pulling out a napkin, " **I got it.** " She leaned down wiped the ice cream off Julia's face, with the child making whining noises and grimacing as she did so. " **There.** " She crumpled up the napkin and stood, tossing it in the nearest garbage can. "So, what's next?"

"Games!" The twins shouted.

"Okay, we'll play some games." Mira said, making sure Julia's leash was tightly secured around her wrist before she took her cousin's hand.

* * *

Mira walked around the game stands on Coney Island. With her were Mori, Honey, Hikaru, Kaoru, Kyoya, and Julia's leash still around her wrist. Tamaki had gone off to the bathroom, saying something about how the 'stress' from Mira's 'disappearance' made him close to vomiting.

"Hey, what's this?" Kaoru asked, pointing to one of the game stands.

"It's the goldfish game." Mira said, "What you try to do is get the ping pong ball into one of the bowls. If you do, you get to take the goldfish inside it home."

"Ooh!" They said, "We want to play!" Mira rolled her eyes.

"It costs money." She said, "Like, American dollars you  _don't_  have."

"Pay for us." The twins ordered, Mira glared.

"No! Why should I?" She asked, tugging a little on Julia's leash when she pointed her finger at them, "Practically nobody wins this game, anyway! It'd be a waste, especially with you two!" The twins pouted. Julia tugged at Mira's jeans.

" **Miwa, I'm out of ice-cweam.** " She said.

" **Well, you shouldn't eat too much anyway.** " Mira said, " **You'll ruin your teeth with all that sugar.** " Julia pouted angrily and crossed her arms.

"We'll pay off some of your debt if you do." Kaoru offered, Mira looked back at them and shook her head.

"Liars." She said. Her eyes widened when someone handed them a good amount of money.

"Here, I got some American money for us." Kyoya said, letting the twins take the money from him, "Enjoy yourselves."

"Woo-hoo!" The twins said, pumping their arms into the air. They stuck out their tongues at Mira before heading over to the man at the stand.

"I hope they lose." Mira muttered to herself, crossing her arms across her chest. She felt a tugging on her jeans again and Mira looked down at Honey.

"Are there other games to play, Mira-chan?" He asked.

"Sure, there are plenty." Mira said, she looked around for a game Honey might like, "Ah, see there's one over there. The prizes aren't that great, but the game is pretty easy. You just point the water guns at the clown's mouth until his head blows up, and the person whose clown head blows up first gets a prize."

"That sounds fun!" Honey said, he grabbed his cousin's hand, but paused before he dragged him over to the game, "Do you mind if I borrow him?" Mira let out an amused giggle.

"Honey, he's your cousin." Mira said, "You don't need my permission, he's your family."

"But he's your boyfriend." Honey reasoned, "I don't want you to get upset if I take him away." Mira blushed a little and Mori smirked at her cute face.

"L-Like I said," Mira stuttered embarrassedly, "You don't need my permission." Mori leaned down and kissed her cheek. Her blush deepened and she looked away, a small smile on her face. Honey dragged his cousin off to the clown heads.

"Aw, man!" A voice whined, she looked over to see Hikaru and Kaoru had lost their game. She smirked at them when they pulled out more money and told the man at the stand to give them another chance in rapid Japanese. The vendor looked like he didn't care if he understood them or not. When they waved the dollars in his face, he understood everything he needed to.

"I don't see the appeal." A voice said from behind her, Mira jumped and looked around at Kyoya was the speaker.

"You don't see the appeal in what?" She asked.

"This game." Kyoya said, "What would you do with a goldfish? Those two will probably end up killing it by forgetting about it."

"True." Mira said, looking back at the twins as they kept trying different methods to get the ping pong ball in one of the bowls, and failing, "That's why I hope they lose. That way, no innocent fish will be susceptible to the twins' horrible pet care skills." Kyoya smirked.

"May I be honest with you, Mira-sempai?" He asked her, Mira looked over at him.

"I'd be angry with you if you weren't." She said, Kyoya nodded.

"I never really saw the appeal of Mori-sempai, either." He said, that caught Mira off guard, "I really doubted his appeal as a host, and I thought he would get the least amount of customers."

"Why?" Mira asked in surprise, knowing the Mori/Honey tag team was one of the most potent ones in the host club.

"He was so quiet." Kyoya said, "I didn't really think any girl would find that attractive. Most women date a man because they can talk about their common interests with them, not because they're good listeners." He adjusted his glasses with a wry smile, "But, it seems I've been proven wrong. After all, he is one of our most popular hosts, and," He looked to Mira, "He managed to get the perfect girlfriend." Mira looked at him with wide eyes. "One who's smart, strong, beautiful, and interesting."

"Kyoya…" She began, "What  _exactly_  are you saying?"

"Not again!" Kaoru's voice pierced through the moment, "Okay, one more time!"

"Hikaru, Kaoru," Kyoya's voice caught their attention, "If you keep wasting money on this game, there won't be anything left for you to buy souvenirs with. I suggest you be wise about your spending." The twins nodded in agreement.

"It was getting boring, anyway." They said, "We're going to get some food."

"There's a vendor a little over that way." Mira said, pointing in the direction they should go, "They sell hotdogs and other stuff."

"Okay." The twins said, going in the direction she pointed to. Mira looked at Kyoya, feeling a bit guilty.

"Kyoya…" She said quietly, coming up to him. She was about to put her hand on his shoulder, but he moved away before she could.

"It's fine, Mira-sempai." He said, "I have nothing but good wishes for you and Mori-sempai. You don't need to worry about another Ayame incident."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Mira said, Kyoya shook his head.

"I just wanted my feelings known." He explained with a calm smile, "You don't have to say anything." He started walking away from her, "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a certain idiot I need to drag out of the bathroom." Mira looked after him sadly. She never knew. All this time, she never noticed that Kyoya had any feelings for her. She felt as oblivious as Haruhi when it came to Tamaki. She wrapped her arms around herself as she remembered how many times she called him something awful. Had he been hurt by that? It's not like she  _really_  thought he was a demonic bastard…

"Mira-chan!" Her depressing thoughts were interrupted when she heard Honey coming over to her, holding a pink bear, "Look! I won the game!"

"That's great, Honey." Mira said, putting on a smile so he and Mori wouldn't worry.

"Do you think Juli-chan will like it?" Honey said, "I thought it would make a good present for her, since she couldn't go on the roller coaster."

"Yeah, I think she would." Mira said, she turned to where Julia should have been behind her, but didn't see her. Instead, she found the end of the leash that she was supposed to be attached to. Something had caused it to be unclipped, and she was gone. She pulled the leash up until she got to the teddy bear, she looked around worriedly, "Julia?" She couldn't spot her cousin in the crowd surrounding them, " _Julia?_!"

"Where'd she go?" Honey asked.

"I don't know!" Mira said, her pitch up higher than normal from fear.

"What's going on?" The twins asked as they came forward, hot dogs in hand.

"Juli-chan's gone!" Honey told them.

"What?" A voice said from behind them, they all turned to see Kyoya and Tamaki, who over heard what Honey had said, "Julia-chan's  _missing?_!"

"Oh God…" Mira muttered, holding her head in her hands, "Oh God, oh God,  _oh God_ …!" Mori gently shushed her and put his hands on her shoulders to try and calm her down before she went into hysterics, "Oh God! Takashi, she's just a little kid! She's barely four! Anything could have happened to her! Oh my God!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

Mori kept shushing her, "We'll look for her." He said, "We'll split up and look for her." He looked back to Kyoya and held out his hand, "Notebook." Kyoya, understanding what he was planning on doing, pulled out a notepad and pen, handing them to Mira.

"Write down Julia's description so we can say it in English." He said, "That way, we can ask people if they've seen her when we split up." Mira nodded and took the pad and pen. She quickly scribbled down 'Have you seen a little girl about two feet tall with pigtails in a purple dress?' in the proper Japanese characters so it would sound like English, if a little bit broken. She handed it to Kyoya and he nodded. He copied the characters onto another sheet and handed it to Hikaru and Kaoru.

"We'll split up." He said, writing out another page, "Tamaki and I will head to the entrance, I'll make sure to contact the police as well. Hikaru and Kaoru," The twins took a page from him, "Check around the docks." They nodded. "Mira, you and Mori-sempai will check around the western side of the park." He tore off another page and handed it to Honey, "Honey-sempai, I hate to make you be alone, but I want you to check around the eastern side of the park."

"Got it!" Honey said, saluting him. Had the situation not been so serious, Mira would have cooed at his cuteness.

"Everyone will meet back here in half an hour." Kyoya said, everyone nodded in understanding, "Then go!"

* * *

"Julia-chan!" Hikaru called through the crowd.

"Where are you?" Kaoru called. They saw some people coming up and they went over to them, "Um, excuse us." The two men looked over at the twins. They got their pieces of paper and read out the characters.

" **Hawv yuu seen a riddle gul abowt too feet taw-ru wiz pig-u-tay-rez-u in ah peru-pull du-res-u?** " They recited, their accents thick in their words. The two men looked at them confusedly, barely understanding what they had asked.

" **Sorry, no.** " One said, shaking his head.

" **Uh-uh.** " The other said, doing the same as the other. The bowed in thanks and kept looking.

"Julia-chan!" They called, walking along the docks.

* * *

"Julia-chan!" Tamaki called as he and Kyoya walked through the crowds near the entrance.

"Julia!" Kyoya called, "Julia!"

"Shout if you can hear us!" Tamaki called, not receiving any response that sounded like a shout.

" **You two need something?** " A woman asked the two boys in English, Kyoya walked over to her, pulling out the piece of paper.

" **Ha-vu you seen a rittle gul about two feet taw-ru with pig-u-tails in a…** " He had trouble pronouncing 'purple', " **Pe… Peru-pull dress-u?** " He knew his accent was pretty thick when he said that. The woman thought about what he said, then shook her head.

" **I'm sorry.** " She said, " **But I'll keep an eye out for you. There's nothing worse than losing your kid in a crowd.** " Kyoya nodded, pretending to understand, then went back to searching.

"Julia-chan!" Tamaki shouted, walking closer to the entrance.

* * *

"Juli-chaaaan!" Honey called as he ran around his side of the park, "Juuuli-chaaaan!"

" **Hey, kid!** " A man said, coming over to him. Honey looked at his clothes and saw a badge on his belt, indicating he was a police officer of some kind. He was rather tall, with an egg-shaped, balding head, and looked to be somewhere in his mid-forties. He went over to Honey and kneeled down to be at his height, " **Are you okay? You lose your mom or something?** " Honey came over to the man and held up a picture he drew on the back of the paper. It was a very poorly drawn picture of Julia, but it showed she had pigtails, and was wearing a purple dress. The officer took the picture and looked back down at Honey, " **Who is this?** "

"Have you seen her?" Honey asked in Japanese, the man looked at him in surprise.

He turned around and shouted, " **Hey, Liv!** " A woman with short, dark hair came over, who also had a badge on her clothes. She looked to be a little bit younger than the man, but not by too many years, " **How many languages do you know?** "

" **I know a lot. Why? Does he not speak English?** " She asked the man, he shook his head. Honey wasn't sure what they were saying, so he spoke up again.

"Please! Have you seen her?" He asked in Japanese, the woman looked at him, seeming to understand.

"Who is she?" She asked him in perfect Japanese, kneeling down.

"She's my friend's little cousin!" Honey said, "She's lost and we can't find her!"

"What's her name?" The woman asked.

"Julia." Honey said, "I don't know her last name…" The two officers looked at each other.

"Were you the one that called the police about a missing girl at Coney Island?" The woman asked Honey, he shook his head.

"No, Kyoya did." He said, "He's looking for her somewhere around the entrance." After a pause, he asked, "Are you two police?"

"We're detectives." The woman answered, "I'm Detective Olivia Benson*, and this is my partner, Detective Elliot Stabler*. We're here because we got a call about a missing little girl."

"Good, then you can help me look!" Honey said.

"Okay, but we need to know what she looks like, first." Detective Benson said, "Is she Japanese, like you?"

"No, Juli-chan's American." Honey said, he proceeded to describe her to the detective, who told her partner what they were looking for.

* * *

Mira wiped away tears as she and Mori kept walking in their side of the park. Mori's arm was still around her shoulders as they walked around, looking for Julia. Mori rubbed her shoulder gently as she took in a deep breath and moved over to where a young man was working at a food stand.

"Excuse me." Mira said, he looked up, bored, at her, but he instantly jumped up when he saw she had been crying, " **Have you seen a little girl, about four, in a purple dress with pigtails?** "

The young man shook his head, " **No, I'm sorry. I'll keep an eye out, though.** " Mira nodded.

" **Thanks anyway.** " She said, she and Mori started walking away from the man. Mira sniffled and wiped her nose. Mori looked at her pitifully.

"We'll find her." He said, hoping to comfort her. Mira only nodded silently, and he knew she hadn't really listened.

* * *

A half hour had passed, and everyone returned to the rendezvous point. Mira and Mori were the last to show up. When they saw her cheeks and under eyes were stained red from her tears, their overall demeanor seemed to disintegrate.

"So, you didn't find her either." Hikaru said, Mira shook her head. Everyone sighed.

"This is terrible." Mira said, "My little cousin is gone, and it's all my fault." It was a huge surprise to everyone that she didn't break down right then and there. It looked like she hadn't stopped crying since Julia went missing. She wanted to. She wanted to just break down in Mori's arms and cry every last tear out from her eyes, but her pride wouldn't let her. She didn't want anyone in the host club to see her cry like that. A few tears, fine, but not a total breakdown. Mori leaned down and kissed the top of her head to comfort her.

"It's not your fault." He said, Mira said nothing in return.

"Did anyone find anything that could help us find Julia?" Kyoya asked everyone, they all shook their heads.

"I think we did." A voice said from behind them, they looked to see detectives Benson and Stabler coming towards them, Stabler carrying little Julia in his arms.

"Julia!" Mira exclaimed, running towards her and taking her out of the detective's arms.

" **We found her near the ice-cream vendor.** " Stabler explained, " **Apparently, she just wanted more strawberry ice-cream, so she tried to** _ **cutesie**_ **her way to a free one.** "

" **Oh, thank God.** " Mira said, she pulled back so she could look her little cousin in the eyes, " **What in the world were you thinking? Do you know how worried I was? How** _ **scared**_ **I was? I thought something had happened to you!** "

" **I'm sorry, Miwa.** " Julia said, hugging her around the neck, " **I twied to find you, but you weren't where you were, and I got a little lost.** "

" **Until we found her.** " Benson said, patting her on the shoulder, " **Poor thing was crying her eyes out for her 'big cousin Miwa'.** "

" **Thank you so much.** " Mira said to the two detectives, " **You have no idea how grateful I am.** "

" **Just doing our jobs.** " Stabler said, " **On our way over here, she said something about a leash?** "

" **She has a leash,** " Mira explained, " **It's so she doesn't get too far. Aunt Eva said I had to use it whenever we go out.** "

" **Well, she figured out how to undo it,** " Stabler said, " **You might want to keep a closer eye on her.** "

" **Oh, I'm not letting her out of my sight.** " Mira said, hugging her cousin. She pulled back, " **Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?** " Julia nodded and Mira hugged her tight. " **Thank you** _ **so**_ **, so much.** "

" **It's not a problem.** " Benson said, she walked over to Julia and petted her head, " **Now, you can't go running off like that anymore, okay honey?** " Julia nodded.

" **Yes ma'am.** " She said. Benson smiled at her.

" **Okay then.** " She said, she smiled at Mira, " **You take care.** "

" **We will, thank you!** " Mira said as they left. Mira kissed her cousin's cheek, " **You wanna go home?** " Julia nodded, " **Let's go home.** "

* * *

Mira shut the door quietly behind her as she left Julia's room after tucking her in. She let out a breath of relief as she came down stairs. The house was totally empty except for her and the host club. Apparently, everyone else in her family had randomly decided to go out to dinner, and when she wasn't around, they left without her.

"Well, she's asleep now." Mira said, "Everyone should be home soon."

"Good." Tamaki said, "Are you going to be okay, Mira-sempai?"

"Yeah." Mira said, "Jules is upstairs, sound asleep. I'll be in the room next door catching a ten-hour rest."

"After such a stressful day," Kyoya said, "You deserve a nice long rest."

"No kidding." Mira said in agreement, knowing he wasn't talking about just Julia disappearing.

"Which is exactly why we won't come to call on you tomorrow." Kyoya said, catching her by surprise, "You can have the entire day to yourself. Any money spent on tour guides tomorrow will not be charged to your debt, and we'll just let you relax."

"Wow… Thanks, Kyoya." Mira said with a small smile, "I really appreciate that."

"But the day after, of course," Kyoya began, "You're right back to being our guide again." Mira's smile fell.

"Of course." She said sarcastically. Kyoya nodded and turned away.

"Bye, Mira-chan!" Honey said, hugging her around the waist.

"Bye, Mira-sempai!" Hikaru and Kaoru chimed, hugging her around her shoulders.

"Goodbye, Mira-sempai!" Tamaki sang, moving to hug her. Mira put her hand out in front of him, giving him a sudden barrier he couldn't get past, "Aw!  _Why not?_!"

"Because I said so." Mira said, "Goodbye, Tamaki." He pouted but walked away as she asked him to do. Mori came over and they shared a quick kiss.

"Expect me to call you tomorrow." Mira said in a low voice, Mori smirked.

"I will." He said, kissing her again and walking away. Mira noticed that Kyoya had seen the little moment between them with envious eyes, but said nothing as he followed the others out the door. Mira watched him leave with saddened eyes, feeling guilt sink into her system.

_This makes things_ so _much more complicated…_

* * *

***These are the two main detectives from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. I really like that show, and it takes place in New York, so I thought 'What the heck?'**

**Also, the song is 'The Perfect Scene' by Mercy Mercedes.**


	28. Chapter 28

28

The rest of the month flew by. Mirabella couldn't count how many times the host club came and bothered her throughout the entire vacation. She'd lost count of how many times she'd hit Tamaki before he tried to hug her. She didn't  _want_  to count how many times she shared an awkward silence with Kyoya while they were driving in the car. He had to move to sit in the very back seat for the rest of summer with the twins. They reached a compromise at one point, but it was still a bit uncomfortable to be alone together. She couldn't stand when they came over, even when they didn't want to go anywhere, and her sister invited them in. Although, it was worth it one time when they were looking for Tamaki and found him in Julia's room wearing a lacy sunhat with a fuzzy pink boa around his neck playing tea party with her. Mira had taken a picture of it with her brother's Polaroid camera. She had full intent to show it to Haruhi and Ranka when she got back.

Her friends had seen her, but not as much as they would have liked. So the parting at the airport was a little bittersweet.

Janelle hugged her tightly as she bid her goodbye. Her twin brother, Jamal, stood off to the side.

" **I'm really gonna miss you.** " She said, pulling away.

" **Me too.** " Mira said, she moved over to Jamal and gave him a quick hug, " **I'll try to keep in contact with you guys.** "

" **Yeah.** " Jamal said shortly, Mira smirked a little, he was never one for goodbyes. He wasn't really one for smiles, either…

" **Okay, when are you coming back?** " Janelle asked, " **Christmas? Thanksgiving? Easter?** "

" **Not any time soon.** " Mira said with a sad voice, " **Here,** " She pulled out a small piece of paper, " **This is my home phone number in Japan. Call me whenever, but you know, Japan is, like, 14 hours ahead of the US, so be careful about that.** "

" **So, in Japan right now, it's…** " Jamal began, looking at his wristwatch, " **1:00 in the morning?** "

" **Just about.** " Mira said shrugging, " **Okay, I gotta go.** " She and Janelle shared one last hug before she ran off, " **Talk to you later!** "

" **Bring us one o' them freaky Japanese snacks when y'all come back!** " Janelle said, Mira laughed.

" **I'll try!** " She said as she ran towards the airport security to join her family. She ran up next to Isabella, sighing when she reached them.

" **What's wrong?** " Isabella asked.

" **I'm just upset that a month only lasts for so long.** " Mira said, " **I'm gonna miss New York.** "

" **Japan's not that bad.** " Alfonso said.

" **You're just saying that because your** _ **girlfriend**_ **is in Japan.** " Mira said with a teasing smirk.

" **So what?** " Kenneth asked, " **Your** _ **boyfriend**_ **is in Japan.** "

" **Oh, you ruined it.** " Mira groaned, lightly smacking him on the shoulder, he smirked.

" **You know, I** _ **still**_ **haven't talked to you about that.** " Alfonso said, Mira rolled her eyes.

" **You're still on that?** " She asked, " **I know everything I need to know, okay? I took Sex Ed.** "

" **Not that kind of talk!** " Alfonso said, " **And it's really important that I do it this far into the relationship because you have yet to get to that point.** " Mira shook her head.

" **Why are you my brother?** " Mira said.

" **Because I came with** _ **him**_ **.** " Alfonso said, pointing to Kenneth, " **You're just the result of a busted condom.** " Mira gaped at him.

" **Dad!** " She cried, appalled.

" **That's not true, Mira.** " He said, " **You were a planned pregnancy.** "

* * *

Mira took in a deep breath as she walked off the plane and into the airport, "The smell of sushi and millions of people." She sighed unhappily, "We're in Japan all right…"

"Oh, lighten up." Isabella said, "I like Japan, and I know you do, too."

"Eh… Well enough." Mira admitted, "But I like America more."

"Mira-chan!" Honey's voice called out, they looked to see him running towards them, the host club walking behind him. He ran up and hugged her around her waist, "Welcome back to Japan!"

"Yeah, Japan sweet Japan." Mira muttered, petting his head.

"Can we give you a ride home?" Honey asked.

" _Oh_ , no." Alfonso said, grabbing Mira's shoulders and pulling her away from Honey, "My little sister is not going into a car with a bunch of dudes.  _Especially_  when one of them would like to have his hand down her pants."

"Al!" Mira cried, slapping his hand, "Will you stop that? I'm not a little girl anymore! I can take care of myself, and besides, Takashi is a complete gentleman."

"Don't care." Alfonso said, Mira scowled and moved away from him.

"Kenneth, say something!" Mira said, Kenneth shrugged.

"For once, I agree with Al." Kenneth said, "I don't like the idea of you in a car full of boys, either." Mira groaned.

"Oh…" Honey said, sounding a little disappointed, "Well, we'll see you at school, then."

"Yeah, see you at school." Mira said. She waved goodbye to the hosts as they headed out.

* * *

Mira rapped lightly on the door to Haruhi Fujioka's apartment. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, shivering a bit as a chilly wind blew around her. It seemed autumn was much closer in Japan than it would have been in New York, and she wasn't smart enough to bring a jacket.

Mira was surprised to see a middle aged looking man with an unshaved face with long red hair in a ponytail and wearing a bandana and T-shirt. He smiled when he saw her.

"Mirabella-chan!" He cooed, "How are you doing? I haven't seen you once all summer!"

Mira stared at him in surprise, "Ranka-san?"

"Who else would it be?" He asked, sounding a little confused.

"Sorry, I just didn't recognize you without your make-up." Mira said, Ranka sighed.

"I know," He said, "But today was my day off and I decided to go without the dressy stuff for today."

"I see…" Mira mumbled, looking at him up and down.

"Do I look that bad?" Ranka asked, Mira quickly shook her head.

"Oh, no!" Mira said, "I'm just… surprised." She smiled at him, "You make a very handsome man, Ranka-san." He smiled back at her.

"Seeing as I was born a male, I'll take that as a compliment." He said, "What are you doing here anyway?" He looked over her shoulder, "And  _how_  did you get here? I thought your brothers took your car keys."

"Oh, they did." Mira said, she held up her hand and jingled the key ring with a grin, "I found where they hid them." Ranka smirked.

"How  _sneaky_." He said, wiggling his fingers.

"I was wondering if Haruhi was home." Mira said, standing up on her tiptoes to see if Haruhi was in the room behind him.

"Oh sure." Ranka said, moving aside so she could come in, "She's in her room. She just got back from her last day of work." Mira steadied herself against the wall as she took her shoes off.

"Work?" She asked, "I didn't know Haruhi had a job."

"It was her summer job." Ranka specified as he went into the kitchen, "What brings you by?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see how her summer went." Mira said, smirking a little bit, "And I wanted to share some memories of my summer with her."  _Especially one in particular_ , she thought, feeling the picture of Tamaki playing tea party with Julia in her pocket.

"Well, that sounds nice." Ranka said, "You know, I'm glad Haruhi has a friend like you." Mira looked up in surprise as she took off her other shoe, "She needs a girlfriend at that school, what with her being surrounded by those  _boys_  all the time." Mira grinned a bit at his acidic tone, knowing which  _boy_  he was talking about.

"Yeah, well I'm glad she's my friend, too." Mira said, stepping onto the tatami flooring, "She keeps me sane in all the madness." Ranka poked his head out of the kitchen and smiled at her, "Where is Haruhi's room?"

"Just down that way." Ranka said, nodding in the direction, "Would you like some tea? I'm almost done brewing it."

"Thank you, but no." Mira said, "I don't plan on staying for too long."

"Oh." Ranka pouted, "Well, if you're sure."

"I am, but still, thank you." Mira said politely as she walked over to where Haruhi's room was. She lightly knocked on the door, "Haruhi, it's me, open up." The door was opened instantly by a wide-eyed Haruhi. Mira smiled at her, "Hey."

"Hi." Haruhi said, smiling, "I haven't heard from you all summer! Where have you been?" The two girls shared a hug, Mira laughed.

"It's kind of a long story." She said, "Can I come in?"

"Oh, sure." Haruhi said, moving aside and letting her in. Mira looked around Haruhi's small bedroom, "Sit down." Mira nodded and sat down on Haruhi's bed, Haruhi came up next to her, "So, what's this story?"

"Okay, first, let me tell you the best part of this summer." Mira said with a giddy smile, "I have a boyfriend."

"Who is it?" Haruhi asked.

"Takashi." Mira said, Haruhi's jaw dropped.

"No way." She said.

"Yes way!" Mira said with an excited giggle. Haruhi giggled with her.

"You have to tell me how it happened!" Haruhi said excitedly, scooting closer so she could listen better.

"Okay, I just have one question, though." Mira said, "Did you know the host club was playing matchmaker with us?" Haruhi sighed.

"Unfortunately." She said, "They dragged me into it."

"Okay, that's all I wanted to know." Mira said, "Because it worked."

"It  _did?_!" Haruhi asked in surprise. She listened intently as Mira proceeded to tell her about how the host club became involved in her summer vacation, and how they managed to pair the two of them together. Neither of them were aware that Ranka was right outside the door, a glass cup next to his ear as he eavesdropped.

"Oh, and before I forget," Mira said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the picture of Tamaki and Julia. Haruhi snorted into her hand at the sight of it.

"What is  _that_?" She asked, taking the picture.

" _That_  is Tamaki playing tea party with my baby cousin Julia." Mira said, "I caught a picture when he wasn't looking. It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen!" She laughed, and so did Haruhi.

"Okay,  _this_ ," She said, pointing at the picture, "Is the second funniest thing I've ever seen."

"What's the first?" Mira asked.

"It was when the entire host club dressed up like girls." Haruhi said, "With wigs, make-up, dresses and everything."

Mira laughed at the idea, "They  _did?_!"

Haruhi laughed with her, "It was to convince me to stay at Ouran and not go to Lobelia. It was so funny! I laughed so hard I almost threw up!" Mira laughed.

On the other side of the door, Ranka smirked, glad that they were having such a good time. He stood up and walked away, deciding to leave the two girls alone.

* * *

_The next day at school…_

"You want me to what?" Mira asked, looking at Honey.

"Share cake with me!" Honey repeated, "Me and Takashi want to come over and share some cake with you." Mori nodded in agreement.

"Are you insane?" Mira asked them, "After everything that's happened over the summer, my brothers will want to do a full body scan of the both of you before you even step foot inside. There's no way you can have cake at my house."

"Oh…" Honey mumbled, looking away thoughtfully, "Then why don't you just come over to our house?"

Mira looked at him in surprise, "Your house?" She repeated, Honey nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! That way, you can meet our family!" Honey said, he looked over at Mori, "Right, Takashi?" He nodded.

"Meet your family… as in," Mira began, "Meeting your parents?" She looked up at Mori, "You want me to meet your parents?" Mori nodded.

"They'll like you." He assured, "I promise." Honey nodded in agreement.

"I don't know…" Mira said unsurely.

"No, they'll really like you!" Honey said, "Satoshi will like you the most!"

"Who's Satoshi?" Mira asked.

"Takashi's little brother." Honey said, Mira looked up at him.

"You never told me you had a little brother." She said, Mori shrugged.

"You never asked." He replied.

"And I bet you'll like Takashi's grandpa too!" Honey said, "He's really fun!"

"I'm almost afraid to find out your definition of fun." Mira said, turning so she would sit forward in her desk.

"Aw, please Mira-chan?" Honey begged, "We could go after club today! It'll be fun, please?" Mira looked over at him, and began to falter under his undefeatable puppy dog pout. To avoid breaking under it, she looked up to Mori.

"I don't know if I'm ready to meet your family." She admitted, "It's only been a month."

"That's long enough!" Honey said, making his eyes as big as he possibly could, " _Please_ , Mira-chan?" Mira began to falter once more.

"Okay, fine." She said, Honey jumped up and cheered.

* * *

"No fair!" The twins said, crossing their arms across their chests.

"What's unfair about it?" Mira demanded, "He invited me, and I said yes."

"But what about  _our_  house?" They whined.

"What  _about_  your house?" Mira asked, planting her hands on her hips.

"We invited you to our house and you said no!" Kaoru said.

"No you didn't." Mira said.

"Yes we did." Hikaru said, "It was over summer vacation, remember? It was last week, when we were on the subway."

"Was this the same subway trip with the crying baby next to me?" Mira asked dryly, "Or was it the trip where I was listening to my new CD with my headphones in my ears?"

"Crying baby." They specified.

"Yeah, that explains why I didn't hear you." Mira said, "And in my defense, I thought you had asked me if I had ever eaten pure wasabi, not come over to your house."

The twins looked at her oddly, " _Have_  you ever eaten pure wasabi?"

"No!" Mira said, "I hate wasabi!"

"Aww…" A voice behind them said, they looked to see some of the twins' fangirls had gathered to hear their conversation, "Mirabella-sempai, I'm so jealous! You got to go on vacation with Hikaru and Kaoru! I'd give anything for a vacation with the host club."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be, trust me." Mira said, waving her hand in dismissal, "I'd much rather spend my vacations by myself."

"Wouldn't you get lonely?" One of the girls asked.

"Well," Mira inconspicuously moved her gaze over to Mori, "I might bring that special someone with me."

The girls gasped, and Renge popped up among the crowd, "Does this mean that Mirabella Marino has that  _special someone?_!" She asked into that cordless microphone that she always seemed to carry. Mira looked back at her, thinking for a moment.

* * *

_Earlier that day…_

_Kyoya looked over at Mira and Mori's entwined hands and scowled. "You know," He began, catching everyone's attention, "It's probably best if you two don't show any affection towards each other in school."_

_"Why not?" Mira asked._

_"Because it could seriously damage the host club's customer intake," Kyoya explained, "And it may cause the host club to slowly deteriorate."_

_"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Mira asked, raising her eyebrow delicately. Kyoya knew what she was really asking, 'Is this out of jealousy?'._

_"Yes, it is." Kyoya said, "I assure you." Mira looked like she didn't believe him, but conceded. She released Mori's hand._

_"Fine." She said, "No PDA at school. But when we get time alone out of school, I'm gonna be all over him." Mori looked like he wasn't sure if he should be worried or pleased at her statement._

_Kyoya grit his teeth together, but made sure to make it unnoticeable, "Fine."_

* * *

"Not yet." Mira said to the girls, "But, I'm hoping I'll get one soon." She crossed her fingers and held them up. She jumped back when the girls suddenly started going into a frenzy, talking about who would best be suited to date her out of all the Japanese celebrities they could name, as well as members of the host club. Mira looked over at Mori with a sheepish smile, and he smiled back before returning to his own customers.

* * *

Mira smiled as she slid into the seat next to Mori as she shut the door. Isabella stuck her head through the window.

"So, just to be clear," She said, "I tell Al and Kenneth that you're over at Haruhi's?"

"Exactly." Mira said, Isabella pouted a little.

"I don't like lying." She said.

"Then tell them that I won't come home until they found a new hiding place for my keys instead of Al's old gym socks in the laptop bag in the garage." Mira said.

"Tell them you won't come home until they find a new hiding spot besides Al's gym sock in the laptop bag in the garage." Isabella repeated, memorizing it, "Got it."

"Okay, I'll be home in a few hours then." Mira said, taking Mori's hand in hers.

"Okay." Isabella said, a sly grin coming on her face, "But are you sure you don't want to spend the night?" Mira blushed furiously.

"Just go home!" She snapped rolling up the car window, hearing Isabella's laugh fade away as she did. Mira looked around the car when she saw Honey wasn't there. "Did Honey go home early?" Mori nodded. Mira smiled a little and scooted closer to them, "So, we have the car all to ourselves, then, huh?"

"Not quite." Mori said, Mira looked at him in confusion as he reached over to his car door and pushed a button. Mira looked over at the front of the car as a black screen went up, separating the chauffer from them. Mori grinned as he put his arm around her shoulders, " _Now_  we have the car to ourselves." Mira snuggled into his arm.

"Good." She said, Mori leaned down and kissed her, reveling in the warmth of them. Mira reached her arms up around his neck and pulled him closer to her, loving the way he returned the favor by wrapping his arms around her waist. As they kissed, Mori's tongue gently probed her lips, wanting permission to go in. Mira smiled a little as she opened her mouth, allowing their tongues to intermingle. She felt herself being shifted as Mori moved her from sitting beside him to into his lap. Mira blushed a bit at the change in position, having never been in his lap before, with both her legs on either side of him. She pushed herself a bit closer to him, her lower body almost making contact with his. Mori sensed her doing this and moved his arms up her back and further down her back to her butt. He pulled her closer to him, having their bodies be up against each other. He groaned a bit at the feeling of the warmth of her lower body being up against his growing erection in his jeans. Mira pulled away from him, gasping for air from their hot kiss, but Mori didn't stop kissing her. He moved over and kissed his way from her cheek, to her jawline, to her neck. When he reached her neck, he was surprised to have her jump at the feeling of him touching it. He looked up at her in surprise, and she blushed embarrassedly, looking away.

"I-I'm ticklish…" She muttered. Mori smirked and feign attacked her neck, making her gasp. She tried to pull away from him, but he only leaned forward in response. Mira moaned as he kept going, feeling herself become aroused as she lay down on the car seat with Mori on top of her. He licked her neck all the way from the base to under her chin, loving the way her breathy gasp turned him on.

Their romantic moment was lost when the car suddenly jerked to a halt, making them fall out of the car seat and roll onto the floor (Neither of them were wearing their seatbelts in their make-out session). Mira landed on top of Mori, her face still red. She stuttered embarrassedly as she got off of him.

"S-Sorry." She said, getting back into the car seat. Mori pulled himself up.

"It's fine." He said, smiling at her. They looked up when the car door was opened by the chauffer.

"Welcome home, Morinozuka-sama." He said, Mori got up and out of the car, holding his hand out for Mira to take, and she did. She looked at Mori's house in awe, gaping at the huge estate. It was a traditional, oriental style estate that almost reminded her of a Japanese palace.

"Big house." She said, Mori shrugged.

"I guess." He said, Mira gave him a look.

"You  _guess_?" She asked him, she shook her head, "You're definitely a rich kid." She walked ahead of him, heading for the front of the house. When she noticed he wasn't following her, she turned around, "Are you going to show me where everything is or not?"

Mori smirked and followed her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

* * *

"Mira-chan!" Honey cheered, running down the hall towards her. Mira smiled at him and caught him when he jumped up to hug her, "You made it!"

"Yeah." Mira said, "I didn't know you guys lived so close to the school." Honey looked at her confusedly.

"Mira-chan, we live almost 49 kilometers from the school." Honey said. (A/N: That's about a thirty-minute drive)

"Really? It seemed like such a short drive on the way over here." She said.

"Maybe you guys were talking so much, the trip seemed shorter." Honey suggested. Mira blushed.

"Yeah… Talking…" She mumbled. Honey took her hand.

"Come on, let's go have cake!" He said, pulling her along, Mori following them.

Honey led her into what must have been the dining room, because it definitely looked like it. On the tables were three, different, huge cakes, that were all decorated differently. Honey led her to the table and sat her down.

"How many pieces do you want?" Honey asked.

"Just one is fine." Mira said, Honey nodded, slicing out a piece of cake for her.

"One for you." Honey said, he cut out another piece, "And one for Takashi." He handed it to his cousin.

"And one for you, right?" Mira asked, Honey looked at her in confusion.

"Did you want more?" He asked, "Because I was going to eat the rest." Mira looked at him in mild shock.

"You can't possibly eat three whole cakes in one go." Mira said.

"You don't know Mitsukuni." Mori said, Mira shot him a look, and he was quiet.

"Do you want another piece?" Honey asked, getting ready to cut out another slice.

"Uh… no." Mira said, Honey nodded happily.

"More cake for me, then!" He said, putting down the knife and grabbing a fork instead, "Itkadakimasu!"

"Itkadakimasu." Mira and Mori repeated, taking a bite of their cake. Mira watched in awe as Honey began to quickly chow down on the first cake. The piece of cake she was going to eat fell off the fork and onto the plate, but her mouth remained open. Mori smirked and reached over to close it for her. She still stared at Honey.

"That… Is  _not_  humanly possible." She said, pointing her fork at Honey, who was halfway through his second cake. He looked at her in confusion, but said nothing and continued eating his cake.

"If you don't eat that cake, he will." Mori warned, Mira noticed he hadn't taken a single bite of his cake. Mira shook her head and pushed the cake away from her.

"I've lost my appetite." She said, putting her fork down, "Could I just get a drink instead?" Mori nodded and stood up.

"The kitchen's this way." He said, Mira got up and followed him as they left the room. As they walked through the hallways, they were silent, but neither of them minded. Mira reached over and took Mori's hand in hers, smiling at him. He smiled back, squeezing her hand.

* * *

When they got to the kitchen, they were surprised to see someone had already stuck their head in the fridge. They were wearing a karate uniform and mumbling to themselves about how they couldn't find 'the freaking tea…'

"Satoshi." Mori said, getting his attention. The boy stuck his head out of the fridge, and Mira was surprised to see a smaller version of her boyfriend looking at them with two sticks of pocky in his mouth, which he quickly ate before speaking.

"Ah, Taka-nii!" He said, smiling, "You're home!" He looked over at Mira and his smile turned to one of confusion, "Who's she?"

"Oh! Um…" Mira began, a little nervous, "I'm Mirabella Marino. I'm-"

"Oh,  _you're_  Mirabella!" Satoshi said, smiling and walking over to her, "It's nice to finally meet you!" He bowed in greeting to her, but suddenly straightened up, "Oh, yeah, Americans shake hands when they greet each other, don't they?" He held out his hand and Mira shook it.

"I've been living in Japan for a while, so you don't have to worry about the bowing-or-shaking-hands thing." Mira said, "How do you know about me?"

"Taka-nii talks about you sometimes." Satoshi said, "But it's mostly our cousin Mitsukuni that does the talking."

"I had a feeling." Mira said, she looked him up and down, seeing he was only a tad bit taller than she was, "It's  _amazing_  how much you look like your brother, except, you know, shorter, and not in a karate uniform." Satoshi smiled.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." He said, "By the way, Taka-nii." He looked up at Mori, "Have you seen Ojii-san's tea? I've been looking all over the place and I can't find it anywhere."

" _SATOSHIIIIIIIII!_!" A voice rang through the halls, making Mira and Satoshi jump, but not Mori. They heard the sound of pounding feet and they looked up when a short old man dressed in a kimono came into the doorway. He was bald around the top of his head, and whatever of his silver gray hair was left (Which was a lot) around his head was spiked out. He had a bushy moustache and dark eyes just like Satoshi and Mori. He glared at Satoshi and pulled out a  _shinai_ , "YOU LITTLE PUNK!" Satoshi yelped when the old man smacked him on the head with the bamboo sword and pinned him to the ground with it. Mira gawked at the display between the two while Mori simply went through the fridge, looking for something to drink, "DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING _?_!"

"Ojii-san! It's not what you think!" Satoshi tried to explain, "Taka-nii got home, and-!"

"DON'T TRY AND PIN YOUR INSOLENCE ON YOUR BROTHER!" The old man yelled, digging the tip of the sword into Satoshi's chest. "YOU WERE NEVER BROUGHT UP WITH ENOUGH DISCIPLINE! YOU'RE FAR TOO EASY-GOING!"

"Is milk okay?" Mori asked, holding up a milk carton.

"Huh?" Mira looked over at him, "Oh, yeah, milk is fine." Mori nodded and went over to a cabinet, pulling out a pair of glasses.

"I'm not blaming him, Ojii-san!" Satoshi cried, "He brought his girlfriend home! I was just saying hi!" This made the old man stop and look up, noticing Mira for the first time. He stared at her for a moment, then took his sword away from Satoshi's chest and walked over to Mira, holding out his hand and smiling.

"Nice to meet you." He greeted, "I'm Takashi's grandfather, Atsushi Morinozuka." Mira shook his hand.

"Um, hi." She greeted back, "I'm his girlfriend, Mirabella Marino."

"Oh, I know who you are." He said, that friendly smile still on his old face, "Takashi and Mitsukuni have said nothing but good things."

"I should hope so." Mira said, the old man laughed boisterously loud, making Mira a bit nervous.

"Oh, how funny!" He laughed, patting her on the shoulder. He looked over at Takashi, "What a good woman, Takashi! Beautiful  _and_  a sense of humor! A fine choice, I couldn't have picked better myself!" Mori's cheeks became a light pink and he practically shoved the glass of milk in Mira's face.

"Please don't say things like that, Ojii-san." Mori said, his own glass of milk in his hands. Mira took a sip from the glass, still looking at the very  _short_  grandfather. He was shorter than Satoshi, and a little bit shorter than her. You'd think every man in the Morinozuka family would be of gigantic height.

Mori's grandfather rolled his eyes, " _Bah_! You're too stupid to realize how good you kids got it!" He said, "Why, when I was young-"

Satoshi groaned, "Not  _again_ …" His grandfather wacked him on the head with the  _shinai_ , "Ow!"

"Shut up!" He snapped, "When your elder is speaking, you don't interrupt and you listen to what they have to say!" He turned back to Mira, putting his hand thoughtfully on his chin, "Now, where was I?"

"At the beginning?" Mira suggested, Mori nudged her.

"Don't encourage him." He muttered.

"Ah, yes!" Mori's grandfather said, "I remember now! When I was young, I was  _quite_  the catch." He nodded sagely, letting out a small chuckle, "Yes, I had every woman in town coming after me. I had so many beautiful women coming after me, that I lost count. And I would have kept at it, too! If I hadn't met your grandmother," He made a 'tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk' sound with his tongue, shaking his head and sighing, " _Ahh_ , I was completely enamored with her back then." He pouted, "And then she got  _old_. Now she's lost that beauty, but sadly, being bound by marriage, I can't have any fun with those beautiful young girls anymore…" Mira was surprised at how genuinely depressed he sounded.

" _Ojii-san_!" Satoshi exclaimed, getting up, "Nobody wants to hear your 'stories of conquest'! They're boring, and frankly, a little disgusting!"

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT LISTENING TO YOUR ELDERS?" Mori's grandfather said angrily, "LET ME FINISH SPEAKING!" He wacked his head again and Satoshi held his head where a bump was now forming, "Now, as disappointing as it is that I can't be with those lovely young ladies anymore," He smiled at Mira, "It always warms my heart to see my grandsons bringing in such beautiful young women into this house to join our family." Mira let out a small squeak of surprise when he took her face in his hands and inspected her, "And you, Mirabella-san, are the best yet! There's nothing more attractive to a Morninozuka than a woman from another country!" Mori pulled her away from his grandfather.

"Ojii-san!" Mori exclaimed, his face beginning to darken in a blush.

"What?" His grandfather asked, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Takashi! She's a beautiful young woman, and I bet I'm not the  _only_  one who thinks so." Mori began to push Mira out of the kitchen.

"We're going back to the dining room." He said shortly.

"Alright." Mori's grandfather said.

"See you later, Taka-nii." Satoshi said, "Bye, Mirabella-san."

"Bye." Mira said, waving to him as she and Mori left the kitchen and the two of them were out of their line of sight.

"Now, I'm not done with you yet!" Mori's grandfather said, "I still want my tea!"

"I  _told_  you, I'm getting it!" Satoshi said. Mira looked up at Mori.

"Is that how it always is at your house?" She asked, she was surprised to see Mori give a small grimace.

"Unfortunately." He said, Mira giggled a little.

"Well, I like it." She said, "It's entertaining."

"It gets old after a while." Mori said, Mira smiled, taking a sip of her milk.

"I suppose…" She murmured, "By the way, how come your grandfather's so short? I thought he would be, like, seven feet tall or something."

"He used to be." Mori said, "But he shrunk with age."

"Oh." Mira said, giggling again.


	29. Chapter 29 - The Morinozuka Family

29

Mira and Mori walked back into the dining room, and saw Honey sitting by himself, with all but the pieces he cut out for Mira and Mori gone. "Honey, you can eat my cake if you want."

That really seemed to perk him up, and he started on her piece right away, but with not as much gusto as he did with the whole cakes. "Thank you, Mira-chan!"

"No problem." She said, sitting back down. Mori sat beside her.

"Mine, too." Mori said, pushing the cake piece over to him.

"Thanks, Takashi!" Honey said, starting to eat both pieces at once.

"Honey," Mira began, getting his attention, "Don't you have a younger brother?"

"Yeah, Chika-chan." Honey said, "He's probably at home right now, though."

"Is home close by?" Mira asked, Honey nodded.

"Yeah, it's right next door." He said, "Our estates are kind of adjoining. It's really nice, because we get to come over all the time."

"Huh." Mira said, "Considering how close you two are, I probably should have seen it coming." Honey nodded in agreement. A huge boom rumbled throughout the house, making the three of them jump. Mira was surprised to find rain pelting the dining room window. "I don't remember there being any rain in today's forecast."

"Me either." Honey said, "It looks pretty bad."

"Maybe it'll lift up soon." Mira said, "In the meantime, I have some more time to tour the house."

"Yay!" Honey cheered, "We'll show you every part of it."

* * *

"…And this is the family dojo!" Honey said, sliding open the door, "Oops, sorry, Jii-chan." Mira looked in and saw Atsushi Morinozuka sitting in the middle of the dojo, meditating, "Didn't mean to bother you." He peeked open an eye at Honey, but smiled when he saw Mira.

"Oh, not at all!" He said cheerily, "Come in, come in! I was just finishing, anyway." He stood up from his spot and the three of them came in. Mira looked around at the dojo.

"Your own personal dojo…" Mira murmured, she looked up at Mori, "What is it your family makes so much money off of again?"

"A national kendo and judo chain." Mori's grandfather answered before Mori could. "Are you interested in kendo, Mirabella-san? If I may call you that."

"Uh, yeah." Mira said, "I'm actually part of Mori's kendo team."

"Oh, are you now?" He asked, coming towards her with that smile still on his face, "I bet you're quite a master."

"I wouldn't say master…" Mira said, a bit embarrassed from the compliment, "I'm still learning."

"Well, perhaps you would like to learn from a master?" He offered.

"Ojii-san…" Mori growled lowly when his grandfather put his arm around Mira's shoulder and began to lead her further into the dojo.

"Now, Takashi." His grandfather scolded, "Don't you want your girlfriend to improve at kendo? You became a master only a year ago, I have  _much_  more experience." Mori narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Mira stood in the middle of the room and waited as he went and got her a  _shinai_ , "Now, let's see how you swing." Mira nodded and did the same swings she had been practicing in kendo since she joined. She was surprised to hear the grandfather make that 'tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk' noise again, and shake his head. "Your form is all wrong."

"It is?" Mira asked, Mori's grandfather nodded and came over to her.

"First of all," He said, adjusting her arms, "Your elbows should be tucked in closer to your body so your center is more protected." He stepped away, "Try again." Mira tucked her elbows in more and swung the  _shinai_  again, the grandfather shook his head again, "Your legs are too close together." He stood next to her, demonstrating what she should do with an imaginary  _shinai_ , "What you should do is keep them close enough that you don't lose balance, but keep them far enough apart to have a good, strong battle stance." He moved closer and adjusted her feet, "Again." Mira did as he told her, hearing the 'tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk' sound again. "You're slouching."

"I am?" Mira asked, she always figured she had a good posture when it came to kendo. That's what Mori said, anyway.

"Yes." He said, he moved closer to her, "What you should do is keep your spine as straight as you can." He moved his hands along her back, "But it's the base of your spine that needs the most work." Mira felt his hands go further down her back, and she heard Mori growl lowly in his throat when he did, "Especially right around… here!" Mira yelped when he squeezed her butt. She whirled around and slapped his hand with the  _shinai_.

" _What the hell?_!" She demanded, quirking an eyebrow at his strangely happy face.

" _Ooh-hoo_! My, my, my,  _my_!" He sang out, "What a fine little ass you have, Mirabella-san!"

"Ojii-san!" Mori said, rushing over to Mira before she pounced on him.

"You freaky, old  _pervert!_!" Mira growled, "I have half a mind to beat you from here to the Eiffel Tower!" Mori restrained her as she tried to swipe at him, and Mori's grandfather made sure he was out of the girl's reach. He let out a hearty laugh.

"An excellent choice, Takashi!" He praised, "A good, fine ass, and the strength to protect it! A wonderful woman!" Mori glared at him and picked Mira up off the ground and slung her over his shoulder like a bag of flour.

"Pervy old fart!" Mira shouted, squirming on Mori's shoulder, "Wrinkled deviant!" They walked out of the dojo and into the hallway.

"Mira-chan, calm down!" Honey said, talking to her as she was still on Mori's shoulder, "That's just Jii-chan's way of saying he likes you."

"He's a pervert who squeezed my butt!" Mira said angrily.

"Yeah, but he won't actually  _try_  anything." Honey said, "He's too old for that kind of stuff, anyway."

* * *

After Mira had calmed down, they continued to tour the rest of the house.

"And that's another bathroom." Honey said, pointing to a door they passed it.

"Oh, hey!" A voice said, the three of them looked over to see Satoshi coming towards them, with Yasuchika next to him. He scowled when he saw Honey, "Mirabella-san." He took Yasuchika's arm and dragged him over to them, "I heard Ojii-san 'helped' you in kendo. Sorry about that."

"Hey, I'm calm enough not to try and kill him now." Mira said, "But I'm not going to say it's okay, because it's not." Satoshi nodded in agreement.

"I hear you." He said, "By the way, have you met Yasuchika?" He gestured to Honey's younger brother.

"Actually I have." Mira said, "On vacation."

"Oh." Satoshi said, he turned to Yasuchika, "Sorry about that, I guess I dragged you over here for nothing."

"You dragged me over here in the pouring rain for a person I'd already met?" Yasuchika asked acidly, "Thanks a  _lot_ , Satoshi." He stalked away from them. Satoshi grimaced.

"Whoops." He said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I managed to get him over here before the rain got too bad, but I don't know if he'll go back now."

"Is the rain that bad?" Mira asked.

"I can barely see the first ten feet in front of me in that down pour!" Satoshi said, "It's insane!"

"Seriously?" Mira asked, she bit her lip, "I'm guessing it wouldn't be safe to drive through it."

"Not unless you want to risk a crash." Satoshi said. Mira let an uneasy hum and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Now I'm worried." She said, "If I don't come home tonight, there's a good chance my brothers are going to assume the worst."

"That something bad happened to you?" Satoshi asked, Mira shook her head.

"No, that I gave my virginity to your brother." Mira said bluntly, "Whichever one they think, they'll be out for blood if I don't come home." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, "I should call them, maybe they can pick me up."

"Mira-chan, why don't you just stay here?" Honey asked. Mira looked at him in shock.

"Here?" She repeated, "Is… Is that okay? I mean, what about your parents?"

"We could just ask them." Satoshi said, "Besides, they've been dying to meet you ever since Mitsukuni told them Taka-nii had a crush on you." Mira looked mildly surprised when she heard that. "They should be in the den."

Honey grabbed Mira's hand, "Let's go then!"

* * *

Mira was surprised at how long it took them to get to the den. They went through six different hallways, and took a shortcut through three different rooms. When they reached the den, Mira felt her heart rate sky rocket from the nervousness of meeting Mori's parents. When she saw them for the first time, the only thing she could think about was her appearance compared to theirs. She was dressed in her casual clothes that she had packed to wear after the host club, which was just a fitting T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Mori's father was dressed in a business suit, and looked just like Mori, except for a moustache on his face. He was the slightest bit taller than Mori, with laugh lines showing on his face, but he looked too serious to smile. His mother was an elegant, beautiful woman dressed in an expensive-looking kimono. She was shorter than her husband and Mori, but only a few inches taller than Mira. She smiled at her when she walked into the room with Honey.

"Hi Uncle! Hi Auntie!" Honey greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Mistukuni." Mori's mother greeted.

"We have a question." Honey said, gesturing to Mira and the others, "Can Mira-chan stay over tonight? Because the rain outside looks really bad, and she doesn't think she'll be able to drive home."

"Mira-chan as in,  _Takashi's_  Mira-chan?" Mori's mother asked with an excited smile. Honey nodded and she walked over to Mira, bowing towards her and Mira bowed back, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Marino-san. I'm Takashi's mother, Fumiko Morinozuka."

"Hello." Mira greeted nervously, she bowed again when Mori's father came towards her, "Um, it's very nice to meet you both."

"I am Takashi's father." He introduced, holding out his hand, "Hiroshi Morinozuka." Mira shook his hand.

"Hello." She said politely.

"So you're Taka-chan's little girlfriend, hmm?" Mrs. Morinozuka said with a smile.

"Mother…" Mori murmured, his cheeks becoming a bit pink.

"I'm sorry." She said to him, "I keep forgetting you hate that name." She turned back to Mira, "It's a mother's job to embarrass her sons, don't you think?" She laughed, and Mira laughed nervously with her. "Now, what's this about you staying over?"

"Oh! Um…" Mira began nervously, "It's raining very hard outside, and, well, I'm a bit worried that if I was driven home by someone, we, might get in a wreck and, um, with your permission I'd like to stay over at your home for the night and attend school in the morning."

"In the same room as Takashi?" Mr. Morinozuka questioned, Mira and Mori instantly shook their heads, speaking at the same time.

"No! No, no." Mori said, "Not tonight. Not any time soon, either."

"No, never!" Mira said, "Well, maybe later on, but, not now! No." Mrs. Morinozuka laughed at their reactions, while Mr. Morinozuka remained stoic, except for the small grin on his face.

"Oh, Hiroshi." Mrs. Morinozuka chided, "Don't tease them like that."

"I-I would just sleep on the couch or something." Mira said, "Not in Takashi's bed."

"Oh, couch-shmouch." Mrs. Morinozuka said, "We'll have the guest bed ready for you. Satoshi," The boy perked up when his name was spoken, "Go and have the maids get the guest room ready for Marino-san."

"Yes, mother!" Satoshi said, running down the hall.

"And we expect you to join us for dinner, as well." Mrs. Morinozuka said, "Right, dear?" Mr. Morinozuka nodded in agreement.

"O-Of course!" Mira said quickly. Mrs. Morinozuka smiled at her.

"Wonderful." She said, "We'll see you later, then."

"Yes ma'am." Mira said. She and Mori left the room, when they were out of earshot, the two parents turned to each other.

"She seems sweet." Mrs. Morinozuka said, "And she's very pretty, wouldn't you say?"

Mr. Morinozuka hummed and nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

Mira let out a deep breath of relief once she and Mori had left his parents, "I don't remember being so nervous before that!" She said. Mori laughed. "Be quiet."

* * *

Mira walked into the dining room with Mori beside her, where she saw Satoshi already sitting down, but Mori's parents had yet to arrive. He smiled at her.

"Hey, Mirabella-san!" He greeted.

"Hey, Satoshi." Mira said, sitting down across from him. Satoshi handed her a steaming cup of tea.

"Here, I made some tea for everyone." He said, "Want some?"

Not one to turn down a free drink, Mira said, "Sure." She picked up the cup.

"Mira, I wouldn't…" Mori began, but stopped once she had put her lips to the cup. Mira tasted the beverage, and spit it back out, coughing. That had to be the nastiest tea she ever tasted! She looked back up at Satoshi, who looked at her in surprise that she had spit it out.

"Um… too hot." She said, offering a sheepish smile.

"Oh." Satoshi said, taking the cup back, "I'll give you some more when it cools down then."

"Um, I wouldn't bother." Mira said, "I'm… not much of a tea person." Mori smiled and sat down next to her.

"Oh." Satoshi said again, he shrugged, "Well, okay." He took a sip from the cup, "I don't see why, though. It's pretty good."

Mira shrugged, but didn't say anything, not wanting to upset Satoshi. Mira looked out the window in the dining room to see that the rain was still pouring down. Even harder than before, if that was even possible. She let out a thoughtful hum, and Mori looked over at her, she met his gaze and spoke.

"I still haven't called my family." She explained, "I really should just do it now." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, dialing Kenneth's number (Alfonso would just be outright unreasonable about the whole thing, anyhow.) and she was about to push the call button, when the dining room doors opened, revealing the Morinozukas as well as Mori's grandfather. She quickly shut her phone and put it back in her pocket. "Never mind, then."

"Hello, Mirabella-san." Mrs. Morinozuka greeted. Mira nodded in her direction.

"Hello." She returned. The three of them walked in and seated themselves. Mr. Morinozuka sat at the head, his wife beside him, and Mori's grandfather on the other side. Next to Mrs. Morinozuka sat Satoshi, Mori sat next to his grandfather, and Mira sat next to him.

"Now then," Mrs. Morinozuka said, "Let's eat!" Only a second later did different servants come out from another set of doors, carrying trays of traditional Japanese cuisine. There were all kinds of delicious looking foods and Mira smiled. "I hope you like sushi, Marino-san."

"Are you kidding?" Mira asked, "My family business is sushi." Mrs. Morinozuka smiled.

"I'm glad." She said, Mira waited until Mori's parents started eating before she picked up her own chopsticks and ate. The food was clearly made with the finest ingredients, and Mira could taste it in every bite. "So, Marino-san," She looked up at Takashi's mother, "What plans do you have for your future?"

"Me? Um…" Mira hesitated, "I'm… not really sure. "Everything's kind of… iffy for me." He nodded.

"I see." He said shortly before taking a sip of his drink, "What about your family?"

"Pardon?" Mira asked.

"Do you know what your family plans on doing?" Mr. Morinozuka explained.

"Oh. Well, I know my brother Kenneth is working hard to be my dad's successor." Mira said, "Alfonso talks about working near his girlfriend's place. They've been talking about moving in with each other. And Isabella… I think she just plans on marrying a rich man, it's either that or being a veterinarian." Mr. Morinozuka nodded.

"I'm aware of your father's business." He said, "But what about your mother?" Mira's expression fell.

"Actually… We're just hoping my mom will make it to her next birthday." Mira said, "She's very sick, and she's being treated in a hospital in New York right now." Mori sent his father a hard look, Mira didn't notice.

"I see…" Mori's mother murmured, "I'm very sorry to hear that, Marino-san."

"Don't be." Mira said, "It's not like it's anyone's fault." Mira smiled, "But this kind of talk is really depressing, I prefer not to dwell on it."

"Right." Mori's grandfather agreed, "So then, let's talk of other things. Like your relationship to my grandson!"

"Ojii-san…" Mori said, his cheeks a bit pink.

"So, how far have you gotten?" He asked.

"Ojii-san!" Mori and Satoshi exclaimed at the same time. Mira flushed embarrassedly.

"Perhaps we should move on to other subjects." Mori's mother suggested quickly, "This is hardly much better than the conversation before it."

* * *

"Longest dinner of my life." Mira said as she, Mori, and Satoshi left the dining room.

"Yeah, Ojii-san can be pretty persistent when it comes to  _that_  kind of stuff." Satoshi said, shuddering a little. Mira shuddered with him.

"Yeah, no kidding." She said, she suddenly hit her fist into her hand, "Oh! I almost forgot! I need to call my family." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, "I'll be right back." She walked away from the two brothers so she could have some privacy when talking to Kenneth. Mori and Satoshi watched her leave. Satoshi looked up at his big brother.

"She's really nice, Taka-nii." He said, Mori nodded, "Mom likes her, and Ojii-san really likes her." Mori let out an exasperated huff, but nodded in agreement, "It's hard to tell what dad thinks, though." Mori nodded again. Satoshi stuck his hands in his pockets and looked up at his older brother with a smile, "I like her. I wouldn't mind having her for a sister-in-law." Mori looked at his brother with wide eyes. Satoshi only smiled back, "She's really pretty, too. If you're not careful, I just might ask her to marry me before you do~!" With that, he walked away, a smug grin on his face. Mori blushed and put his hand over his mouth to hide it. Marriage? To Mira? He had never really thought about it…

Sure, he liked her a lot, but it was too early in their relationship to think about marrying each other. Although… The more he thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. If they were married, they would spend their entire days together. They could just sit together somewhere and be happy about it. And, marriage would also mean that they could do other things, like certain, physical activities that bond two bodies in a way that nothing else can. Although, they could do that without having to be married, but more people would approve of it if they did.

He shook his head, they had only been together for a month, Mira couldn't possibly be thinking the same things as him. He walked over to where Mira was still talking with her brother, and he was surprised to hear them speaking in Japanese.

"…Look, it's just for one night, nothing will happen, I swear." She said, she didn't speak as her brother spoke on the other end, "No. I told you, he's not that kind of- No! No, are you crazy? Look, tomorrow's a school day, I still have my uniform in my school bag, which is in his car, so nobody has to worry, okay? …Okay. …Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow. Tell everyone I said hi. …Alright, bye." She shut the phone and turned around, she looked at him in surprise, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." He said, shrugging, "You want me to take you to your room?"

"Yeah." Mira said, she took his hand as he led her to the guest room, "My family said I could stay over tonight, so long as neither of us tries anything."

"How would they know if we did?" Mori asked, Mira smirked and lightly smacked his shoulder.

"Naughty boy." She said.

* * *

"This is nice." Mira said, looking around the guest room. It was set up like the rest of the house, in a traditional, oriental style. She walked over to the bed and lay down, stretching out on the covers like a cat would. "This is _really_  nice."

"It could be even nicer." Mori said, leaning his head over hers. Mira snorted in laughter and pushed him away.

"Enough. We made out on the car ride over here." She said, she rolled over on the bed away from him and sat up, "No more."

"Not even a kiss?" Mori asked with a mock-pout. Mira laughed at his expression.

" _One_  kiss." She said, "But that's it."

"I get more tomorrow, right?" Mori asked as Mira scooted herself over to him, and she laughed again.

"Who knew you were so insatiable?" She asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"It's  _your_  fault." Mori said, leaning closer.

"My fault, my fault, my fault…" She mumbled with a smirk, "When all else fails, blame the women." Mori chuckled and their lips were about to touch when…

"Taka-nii, I-! Oh!" The two teenagers pulled away and looked at Satoshi, who stood in the open doorway, his face flushed, "I, uh, was just wondering where Mirabella-san was, but, um…" He looked away, "I know where she is now, so…" He turned and ran away from the room, leaving Mira and Mori by themselves. They looked back at each other, and Mira looked away.

"You're not getting it now." She said, scooting away from him. Mori frowned, "Save it for later."

"Fine." He said, he leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth. She turned to him in surprise, "You didn't say I couldn't steal one." Mira laughed and got up from the bed.

"Insatiable!" She said, walking away from him, throwing her hands up.

* * *

Mori sighed as he let the warm water from the shower head pour on him. Today had been more interesting than he would have liked. He reached for the shampoo bottle and put some of into his hair. He smiled when he thought of all the time he spent with Mira. Normally, it would have just been school, kendo, host club, and then they would say goodbye for the day. They had never really gone out on a date, other than that time they spent at Central Park, but he didn't really mind it. He liked sitting next to her in class, and he really like seeing her practice in kendo. When she got worked up enough, it was kind of arousing to see her like that. He still wished they could do more, though. He liked the idea of going out on actual dates with her, like to some restaurant or a movie theater, and just enjoy each other's company. He loved the idea of getting in bed with her.

He felt his blood rushing south and looked to see he had formed an erection. He sighed in frustration to himself as he reached for the shower's handle and turned it so the water would change to cold.

* * *

"Thanks again for letting me borrow some of your pajamas, Satoshi." Mira said, walking down the hall with Mori's younger brother carrying the large green pajama shirt and pajama pants.

"No problem, Mirabella-san." Satoshi said, "Is that all you need?"

"Actually," Mira said, "Could you point me to your bathroom? I'd like to take a shower before I go to bed."

"Oh, sure." Satoshi said, "The nearest one is right down that hallway, first door on your left." He pointed to the hallway they were passing.

"Thanks." Mira said, beginning to walk to the restroom.

* * *

Mori stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. He scrubbed it against his hair to dry it off. When he was done, he wiped away some of the steam on the mirror and looked at his reflection.

He began to wonder, had Mira had any boyfriends before him? If she did, were they better than him? Not just in the looks department, but in the way they treated her, too? He had so many questions. He wondered if Mira was happy with his quiet demeanor. Most girls date men to actually talk to them and they get to know one another better. He didn't talk too often on a daily basis. He talked more often with her than he would with someone else, but what if that wasn't enough?

His thoughts were cut short when the bathroom door was opened and Mira took one step in. She froze when she saw him, completely naked, with the only cover being the towel he held in his hand. Both teenagers' faces flushed a deep red. Mori took the towel and covered himself while Mira quickly ran out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

"I-I'm sorry!" She cried. Mori simply stood there, frozen. Suddenly having a deja vu of Honey's beach house.

* * *

Mira leaned on the outside of the door, face flushed in embarrassment. She was frozen in shock. She wasn't sure what to do. She flashed back to a reversed situation at Honey's beach house. Now she knew how Mori had felt.

It was one thing to see a man without a shirt, but it was an entirely different situation to see his…  _thing_!

Mira blushed even harder at the thought.

She jumped away from the door when it was opened by Mori. She tried to stutter out an apology, but he stopped her.

"Consider us even for when I caught you at the beach." He said, Mira nodded.

"Right…" She muttered, looking away from him. Mori, seeing her embarrassment, came up with a devious idea to see her cute, embarrassed face even more.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Unless you care to see  _it_  again?" As he predicted, her face flushed even more and she looked up at him with big, shocked eyes.

"I-I…" She couldn't speak, it's not like she never wanted to see  _it_  again for the rest of her life, but she couldn't exactly say yes, either. Mori chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"Just kidding." He said, Mira breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh. I thought you were serious." Mira said, she moved around him, "I'm just going to… um…" Mori nodded, "I'll be sure to come and say goodnight."

"Alright." Mori said. Mira closed the door behind her and Mori left to go to his room.

* * *

Mira knocked on Mori's bedroom, hearing him say, "Come in." A second later. She peeked her head through and smiled at him.

"Hey." She greeted, Mori smiled and walked over to her as she let herself in, "I just came to say goodnight."

"Goodnight kiss?" Mori asked, a smirk on his face. Mira let out a hum, smiling at him.

"One kiss." She said, putting her arms around Mori's neck as he put his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him, "Then I'm going to bed."

"Better make it count, then." Mori said, Mira let out a giggle as Mori took her chin in his hands and brought her lips to his. Mira felt her heart pound as she moved her lips against his, enjoying every second of the kiss. Mori held her face to his, purging the chaste kiss for more than it was worth. When Mira pulled away, she smiled at him.

"Thanks for letting me stay over tonight." She said.

"My pleasure." Mori said, Mira laughed at his answer and pulled away, heading out the door.

"Goodnight." She said.

"Uh, wait." She stopped and looked back at him, "Mirabella… Am I… Enough for you?"

"What do you mean?" Mira asked, Mori shrugged.

"Do you like… being with me?" Mori asked, "As I am?"

"If I didn't like you, Takashi, I wouldn't be with you." Mira said, she smiled at him, "Everyone has that time when they wonder if they're good enough for someone else. I promise you, you're just what I need."

"Even if I don't talk to you?" Mori asked, Mira walked over to him and stood up on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck.

"You think I care if you talk or not?" She asked, "Don't worry about it, okay?" Mori nodded and Mira moved away. "Goodnight, Takashi."

"Goodnight." He said.


	30. Chapter 30 - Another Twisted Day

30

Mira walked with Mori and Honey as they headed down the hallways at Ouran. Mira adjusted her tie to make it a little looser.

"I knew you tied this too tight." Mira said, giving Mori a playful glare, he smiled and said nothing.

"Mira!" The three of them looked behind them to see Isabella running towards them, "Hey."

"Hey, Izzy." Mira said, letting her sister run up next to her.

"We'll see you in class, Mira-chan!" Honey said as he and Mori went on ahead of them.

"Okay." Mira said, waving to the blonde as they walked away.

"So, how was it?" Isabella asked.

"How was what?" Mira asked.

"Spending the night with your  _boyfriend_?" Isabella asked slyly, Mira elbowed her.

"You make it sound like we slept in the same bed." Mira said.

"Well, I have every reason to suspect that you did." Isabella said, Mira scoffed.

"We haven't gotten that far in the relationship yet." Mira said, "No offense, but you don't exactly have the best experience with men in that department. Again, no offense."

"None taken." Isabella said with a shrug, "I acknowledge that the choices I made back then were not my best decisions, and I live with it."

"Yeah…" Mira mumbled, looking away. Deciding that this was not the best subject to bring up, she turned to another one, "Did you know Takashi had a younger brother?"

"He does?" Isabella asked.

"Yeah, he's like a smaller, chattier version of Takashi." Mira said, "I think he's in junior high right now." Mira laughed a bit, "He makes really bad tea, too."

"How bad?" Isabella asked.

"I spat it out when I first tried it." Mira said, Isabella laughed, "I had to tell him I wasn't a 'tea person' so he wouldn't try and give it to me again." Isabella laughed even more.

"What about his parents?" She asked, once she had calmed down. Mira shrugged.

"I think his mom likes me." She said, "I'm not too sure about his dad, though. He's more silent than Takashi. And that's another thing," She began randomly, "Every male in his family has a name that ends in 'shi'. Takashi, Satoshi, Hiroshi, Atsushi… It's weird."

"It's like naming twins names that rhyme." Isabella said.

"Or names that start with the same letter." Mira said.

"Like Janelle and Jamal." Isabella said, Mira let out a chuckle.

"Yeah." She said, "Like them."

"You know, they called our house the other night." Isabella said, "With some bad news."

"What bad news?" Mira asked, concerned.

"They said Mom's been having really bad chest pains," Isabella said, "Her heart rate went up into the 120's yesterday. They had to  _sedate_  her." Mira's eyes went wide in shock.

"Mira, she's getting worse."

* * *

Mira looked up when the teacher called on her, "What?"

"I said, can you tell us when the author Agatha Christie first published a book with the famous detective Poirot?" Mrs. Takanawa repeated.

Mira shook her head, "No, I cannot." The teacher sighed.

"The year was 1926." She said, "The book was 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' which was, as the title states, a murder mystery…" Mira turned her attention to the window, not listening as Mrs. Takanawa went on explaining the plot of the book, and the character of Hercule Poirot. Mori noticed her behavior right away, and began to be a little concerned.

* * *

"Head!" Takahiro shouted, hitting Mira's helmet, making her fall to the ground. "That's another point for me, sempai! I may actually beat you this time!" Mira said nothing as she stood back up,  _shinai_  at the ready. Takahiro thought it was odd how she didn't make a comeback, but he didn't say anything. They went at each other again, this time Mira knocked him down, and helping him back up.

"I'm done for now." She said, walking away from him and over to the bench, taking off her helmet as she did.

"Okay…" Takahiro said, walking over to another bench. Mori saw her taking a break and went over and sat next to her, offering her a bottle of water.

"Thanks," She said, taking grateful gulps from the bottle. She handed it back to him when she was done and he reached over, gently rubbing her back.

"You okay?" He asked, Mira shrugged.

"Physically, yes." She said, "Everything else, not really." She looked up at him and saw his concerned gaze, "You know my mom?" He nodded, "She's not doing so well. Her heart rate spiked really high last night." She looked down at her hands, "I'm really worried." Mori looked at her sadly, he looked around to make sure no one was watching them, then he leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. She looked at him in surprise, knowing they weren't supposed to show any displays of affection towards each other in school.

"She'll be fine." He assured, "Don't worry yourself sick."

"How do you know that for sure?" Mira asked him. Mori smiled.

"Well, where else would you get that strength from?" He asked in return. Mira smiled, leaning into him a little.

* * *

Mira opened up the door to the host club room and walked in.

"SNEAK ATTACK!" Tamaki shouted, leaping up with his arms out to hug her. Mira lifted up her leg and kicked his chin, throwing him back. She kept her completely vertical leg in the air as he fell to the ground.

"Tamaki, it's not a sneak attack if you shout it out." Mira said, putting her leg down, "Keep that in mind, next time." Tamaki jumped up from his place on the ground, unhappy tears flowing down his face.

"Aw, come on!" He whined, "Why do you always push me away when I hug you?"

"You can't really call it hugging when she won't let you touch her." The twins said.

"You stay out of this, devil twins!" Tamaki growled at the two redheads, who laughed at his hug-less unhappiness.

"Leave him alone, you two." Kyoya said, "We can't have him being too unhappy for his customers." He looked over at the three of them, adjusting his glasses, "You know how much the ladies love the lonely and distant Tamaki."

"They really do, don't they?" Mira said, plopping down on a couch next to Haruhi, "No matter how long I'm stuck here, this club always amazes me with their knowledge of lady-killing skills." Haruhi nodded silently in agreement, Mira smirked as she reached into her school jacket and pulled out the picture of Tamaki playing tea party with Julia, "But what would they think of something like this, Kyoya?"

The blood drained from Tamaki's face as he saw her hold it up. The twins laughed, remembering when they had found him like that. Tamaki ran over to try and get the picture, and Mira pulled it just out of his reach when he tried to grab it.

"Well," Kyoya said, "Considering his popularity, I think the ladies would love to see that particular picture." He held out his hand, "Give it to me, I'll have it blown up and hand it out as a flier."

"NO!" Tamaki cried, diving for the photo as Mira stood up and walked over to him. She moved it away from his hands before he was able to get ahold of it.

"Awesome." Mira said, handing it to Kyoya, who tucked the picture away in his jacket.

"Kyoya! As the president of this club, I refuse to have you publicize that photo!" Tamaki said, going into 'serious' mode. Mira and Haruhi rolled their eyes at him.

"Oh, relax, Tamaki." Kyoya said, "When people see this photo, it will show your more 'parental' loving side. It should increase your popularity substantially." Tamaki seemed to relax, "You know,  _after_  they're done laughing." Mira let out a snort at his words, and Haruhi smiled behind her hand.

"Kyoya! Mama isn't allowed to be so mean to daddy!" Tamaki cried.

* * *

"Alright, you idiots," Mira said to the twins as she stood outside the dressing room, "Lay it on me. What's today's torture?" The twins held up a maid's dress, "Again with the maid's outfit?" Mira asked, taking it from them, noting that the normally tiny skirt was a little bit longer than usual.

"Not  _just_  a maid's outfit." Kaoru said, Mira looked at them in horror as they pulled out accessories to the dress.

"Oh, hell no…" Mira muttered, looking at the twins' deviant faces.

* * *

"Oh, wow, Honey-sempai, you look so cute!" One girl cooed, seeing Honey in a little waistcoat with big bunny ears on top of his head, and a little fluff ball of a tail on his butt.

"Look, we match!" Honey said, holding up his pink Usa-chan. The girls cooed over his adorability.

"And Mori-sempai makes a good panda bear!" Another girl said, seeing Mori in a waiter's outfit with a pair of black bear ears on his head. His eyes and nose had been painted over with black ovals, making him look like a panda.

"Yes, it suits his personality." A girl agreed.

"Aw! Tamaki, you make such a cute puppy!" A girl at his table cooed. Tamaki was dressed in a waiter's outfit, like all the other men, with a pair of pointy dog ears on his head, and a little fake tail.

"And this little puppy wants all the love he can get from you." Tamaki said, getting his face close to one of the girls, who went completely red in the face.

"Oh, wow…" She murmured, all the other girls around her squealed.

"Haruhi, you make such a cute little raccoon!" One of her girls cooed, loving Haruhi's fake ears and tail. She gave the girls an awkward smile.

"To be honest, I don't really think it fits me." She said.

"Oh, wow!" One girl exclaimed, "I never would have guessed that you two would have gone with porcupines!" The twins were dressed with extra spiky hair that had been dyed at the tips of each spike. They painted their noses black to make them look a little bit like snouts.

"No, no, no~." The twins said, wagging their fingers at their customers.

"Not porcupines," Kaoru said.

"Hedgehogs." Hikaru said.

"I didn't really think hedgehogs could be cute…" One girl said.

"We admit it, hedgehogs are not the most friendly of creatures." Kaoru said.

"But once you get past the spikes, hedgehogs are quite adorable." Hikaru said, he suddenly took his brother's chin in his hand, "But not anywhere near as adorable as you."

Kaoru blushed, "Hikaru…" The twins act was cut when they were hit with one of the pillows from the couch, making them stumble.

" _This is pure, and outright objectification!_!" Mira snarled at the two, dressed in a kitty maid outfit, complete with lacy bell collar, and cute black ears to go with her lacy headpiece, and two long pigtails, "I can't stand wearing this ugly dress for two more seconds!"

"What are you going to do, walk around naked?" The twins asked her dryly, they didn't notice how all of Mira's male customers suddenly put their hands over their noses to hide their nosebleeds.

"No, what I'm going to do is change into the much more modest maid's dress I saw you two hiding in a closet!" She said, "But before  _that_ , I'm going to teach you two a lesson so you don't  _ever_  dress me up like this again!" The twins yelped as she started running towards them.

Kyoya sighed exasperatedly as they ran past him in his fox costume, "Don't rip your costumes, they're very expensive." He said, adjusting his glasses.

The twins ran past Mori, who stood still until Mira came running after them. When she was within reach, he held out his arms and caught her, slinging her over his shoulder. He walked her into another room and she stayed over his shoulder with a bewildered look on her face, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Once the door had shut, Mori placed her on the ground, and before Mira could tell him off for interrupting her, his mouth was on hers, ravaging it. While she was surprised at the sudden kiss, she returned it, wrapping her arms around his neck while he wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her close against him, enough so she could feel the forming erection in his pants, and she gasped. He took advantage of her open mouth and stuck his tongue inside it, massaging hers with it. Mira was surprised at his sudden roughness, and his sudden neediness. She was even more surprised when she found her back pushed up against a wall, and Mori had moved away from her mouth and down to her neck, undoing the collar's clip in the back and taking it off with his teeth before licking her neck. Mira moaned out in surprise, but quickly shut her mouth, not wanting anybody to hear her.

"What's… gotten into you… all of a sudden…?" Mira gasped out, squirming as he found a particularly sensitive part of her neck and began sucking on it.

"I probably should have told you," Mori panted into her ear, moving his hand to undo the buttons on the front of her dress, "But I have an  _insane_  maid fetish." Mira let out a huff of air mixed with a laugh.

"I should have known…" She muttered, "You are a member of the host club, after a-Ah!" She stopped when Mori suddenly began sucking on her collarbone, and his hand began to caress her thigh. "Takashi…!"

"I love when you say my name." Mori said, kissing his way up her neck. His hand went further up her dress until he came in contact with her underwear. Mira felt this and pushed him back.

"Takashi, wait." He stopped and looked at her, "I can't… I mean, we've only been together for a little over a month. I-I'm not ready to…" Mori put his finger over her mouth to stop her.

"You don't honestly think I would force you, do you?" He asked her, frowning. Mira sighed in relief.

"Oh, good." She said, "If that's the case, we better stop while we can." Mori sighed.

"Do we have to?" He asked, a little whine underlining his voice.

"Yes." Mira said, a little humorous smirk on her face, Mori sighed.

"Then what am I going to do about this?" He asked, moving back, Mira blushed at the large bulge in his pants. She looked back at him and saw he was giving her a sort of pleading stare.

"Don't look at me!" She said, "Can't you… I don't know, do it yourself?" Mori sighed, but relented.

"Fine." He leaned down and they shared a quick kiss before he left for the restrooms.

Mira smiled at his back, "Thank god he's a gentleman." She said, before heading over to the closet and pulling out a long-skirted light blue dress that vaguely reminded her of Belle's dress from the Disney movie  _Beauty and the Beast_.

She was in the process of taking off the knee-high socks that came with her outfit when Mori walked out of the restroom, seeming to be completely fine.

"Hey, Takashi." Mira said, pulling off the first sock, "I have a question for you." He looked over at her, "I've worn a maid's dress before. Did that turn you on?" Mori nodded at her, and she smiled to herself. She wasn't sure why, but she liked the idea that she turned him on before they were together.

* * *

"You know, it's funny," Mira said as she walked out of the changing room in some casual clothes she had packed, "I haven't seen Izzy since this morning." She pulled her hair out of the pigtails the twins had put them in, "You think she would have come to the host club."

"Did something happen?" Haruhi asked, Mira shook her head.

"Not to my knowledge." She said, "If something happened, my brothers or my dad would have called me, and my phone hasn't gone off all day." She reached into her pocket, pulling out her cellphone, "Which is because my phone isn't on." She turned it on and stuck it back in her pocket. She grabbed her school bag and walked over to the twins, smacking them both upside their heads.

"Ouch!" They said, holding the spot she had smacked, "What was that for?"

"Dress me up in something even remotely similar to what you guys made last time," She warned, "And I will do  _so_  much worse."

"We didn't make that!" Hikaru said.

"Yeah, Kyoya bought it for you!" Kaoru said, Mira looked over at said club member, who pretended not to hear everything that had been said.

"Oh, you sick little…" She muttered, stopping herself and shaking her head. She walked over to Mori, "Are you still driving me home?" Mori nodded, "Then let's go."

* * *

Mira waved goodbye to Mori from her doorstep as the car took off. She walked into her house, shutting the door behind her.

"I'm home!" She shouted, walking into the living room. She was shocked to find Isabella, Alfonso, and Kenneth all sitting in the room, deathly silent. She looked around them and asked with a small laugh, "Jeez… Who died?"

"Mom." Alfonso said. Mira froze.

"…What?" Was all she was able to muster.

"Her heart gave out." Kenneth said, "The hospital called, she's been dead since one this afternoon. Her heart just… stopped."

"If this is some kind of a joke, it's not funny." Mira said seriously. No one responded to her words, "I'm serious! If this is a prank, you better tell me now!"

"It's not a prank." Kenneth said, "We're telling the truth, we wouldn't lie about something like this, Mirabella. You know that."

Mira knew tears were falling down her cheeks, but she couldn't feel them. She couldn't feel anything. She felt numb everywhere, and she fell to her knees because she could no longer feel her legs. Alfonso, being the big brother that he was, went over to her and held her close. Mira stayed there for a moment, numb and paralyzed, not sure what she should feel. When her brain finally began to function like it normally did, she began to cry, and sobbed into her brother's chest.

Her mother was dead.


	31. Chapter 31 - The Last Straw

31

Mira awoke to the sun peeking through the window in her bedroom. She looked at her alarm clock, seeing that it was still going off. She hit the snooze button and turned over in her sheets, closing her eyes. She didn't want to get up, she never wanted to. She wanted to sleep long enough for it all to be a dream. A horrible, horrible earth-shattering dream. She ignored the knocking on her door, and didn't bother to open her eyes to see who it was when it opened.

"Mira…?" Alfonso's voice questioned, Mira turned away from him. He walked over and gently shook her shoulder, "Mira, come on. You're going to be late for school." She opened her eyes, and Alfonso saw they were filling up with tears. He sat down on her bed next to her, "Come on, Mira. You have to get up."

"Was it a dream…?" Mira asked quietly.

Alfonso knew exactly what she was talking about, but he still asked, "Was what a dream?"

"Mom… Is she really dead?" Mira asked, she blinked, and a teardrop traveled from her eye to her nose and plopping onto the sheets. Alfonso looked at her sadly, "I keep on thinking that it's a bad dream… That if I keep sleeping, I'll wake up, and it won't be real." Alfonso rubbed her back, trying to offer her some comfort. "I know it's a useless effort, but I still want to try…" She sniffed and wiped her nose with her pajama sleeve.

"I know exactly how you feel." Alfonso said, "I didn't want to get up either, Mira, but I knew I had to. You have to face this sometime, whether you like it or not. It's better to face it now than later." Mira curled up a little bit.

"I don't want to…" She mumbled, sounding like a child.

"I know you don't." Alfonso said, "None of us do." Mira still didn't respond, Alfonso sighed, "Mira,  _please_ , get up. I'm not asking you to do much. Just go to school, after that, you can sleep as much as you want." Mira pushed herself up and Alfonso's arm went around her shoulders. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, "I know you can do this, Mira." He got up from her bed, and held out his hand and pulled her out, "I'll see you at breakfast, okay?" Mira nodded and kissed the top of her head again.

* * *

Mira and Isabella shut the door to Kenneth's car as he dropped the two girls off. "Hey," He called to the two of them, "If you guys want to come home, you can. Just call us, okay?" They nodded to him and he turned the car and drove away. Isabella looked over at her sister, seeing how sullen she looked.

"Mira?" She looked over at her younger sister, "Do you want to hold my hand?" She held out her hand, Mira said nothing as she walked away. Isabella looked at her sadly, not realizing how badly she had been hit by the news of their mother's death. She promptly followed her to the school. When Isabella saw some of her friends, she turned to her sister, "Do you mind if I go and hang out with them?" Mira looked over at her.

"Why would I mind?" She asked.

"Well, it's just…" Isabella began, "You're really upset, and-"

"I'll be fine." Mira said quickly, "Go hang out with your friends." Isabella hesitated, "Go, I'll be fine."

"Well, if you're sure…" She said, Mira shooed her away.

"Go on, I'll be fine." She said, Isabella nodded and ran towards her friends, who greeted her with happy smiles.

Mira kept walking towards the school entrance. When she came to the lockers, she noticed Haruhi had just come in. She smiled at her.

"Morning, Mira-sempai." She greeted, Mira grunted in return, Haruhi looked over at her, "Bad morning?"

"You have no idea…" Mira said as she opened up her locker.

"Ah-HA!" Tamaki cried before pulling Mira into his arms, "I knew it! I knew that if I waited for you at your locker, I'd finally be able to hug you!"

"Yeah, and now you have to deal with a new set of bruises." The twins said, grins on their faces as they waited for Mira to punch him. Tamaki grimaced and was about to jump away from Mira, but found he couldn't. He looked and saw that she was actually hugging him back, he looked at her with wide eyes. As did the twins and Haruhi.

"Mira-sempai?" Tamaki asked, looking down at her, she looked up at him.

"What?" She asked.

"You're… hugging me." Tamaki said, still in shock.

"And?" Mira asked, "I figured if I hugged you, you'd stop trying." She pulled away from the blonde and turned back to her locker. Tamaki looked back at the others, his confused face asking for an explanation. The twins shrugged, showing they were just as confused as he was. Haruhi shook her head, showing she didn't know either. Tamaki looked back at Mira, who was pulling her books out of her locker. She quirked an eyebrow at him when she noticed him staring at her, "What?"

"Mira-sempai, is everything okay?" Tamaki asked.

"Yeah." Mira said, shutting her locker door, "Everything's peachy-keen." She walked around him, heading towards her classroom. The twins exchanged glances.

" _'Peachy-keen'_?" They repeated in confusion.

* * *

Mira sat down in her desk, her eyes instantly going to the window next to her. She didn't bother to listen to the other students talking to each other, she just stared out the window. She didn't notice Honey and Mori coming in, and she didn't really hear them as they called out to her. When they came over to her, Mori looked around to make sure no one was watching him, then he leaned down and kissed her cheek. She jumped and looked over at him, he smiled at her and she smiled weakly back.

"Hey." She said, her voice was hoarse and she cleared her throat. Mori frowned at her strange behavior, but said nothing.

"Mira-chan!" Honey said excitedly, "Good morning!"

"Good morning." Mira returned, smiling softly at his enthusiasm, "You look happy."

"That's because tonight's cake night!" Honey said, "I can't wait!" Mira let out a small laugh.

"Well, that's always something to look forward to." She said, Honey nodded, he looked up at her with a small frown.

"Mira-chan, are you okay?" He asked, Mira shrugged.

"I guess." She said. They looked up to the front of the classroom when the door opened and the teacher came in.

"Students, take your seats." She ordered, and everyone did as she said. Mori shot Mira a look that said 'We'll talk later'. Mira looked to the front of the classroom, listening as the teacher began to lecture them.

* * *

Mori scribbled down some notes as their teacher kept speaking. He looked over at Mira, and saw that she had laid her head down in her arms. He did a double take when he realized she was crying. Nobody had noticed because they were only leaking out, she was sniffling or sobbing or making any noise at all. He looked over at Honey, and saw that he had seen her crying as well. He looked up at Mori worriedly, and he looked back to her.

What happened to make her act this way?

* * *

Mira walked through the school's gardens, she rounded a corner and came to the koi pond she had become so fond of over her time at Ouran. She walked over to the bench and sat down on it. She looked at the pond, seeing the fish swimming around as usual, and she saw that the ducks that had taken up residence at the pond had now hatched little ducklings. She watched them swim around for a little bit, then she held her head in her hands and began to cry.

She stayed on that stone bench, sobbing into her hands. This was the scene that Ritsu Kasanoda happened to walk in on.

"Mirabella?" He asked, she gasped and turned around to see him there.

"Kasanoda-san!" She exclaimed, she quickly wiped her tears and forced herself to stop crying.

"So I'm a little late to feed the fish," Kasanoda said with a wry grin, "No need to cry about it."

"This really isn't the time." Mira said, wiping her nose on her jacket sleeve. Kasanoda sat next to her.

"Sorry." He said, Mira said nothing, wiping her eyes to rid herself of the last of her tears, "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." She said, Kasanoda nodded understandingly, "But I will anyway." He looked at her in surprise, "Last night… we got a call from a hospital in New York. You see, my mom's been treated for years for a disease that she was never really cured from, and… it killed her." Kasanoda looked at her in shock.

"Oh…" He said, "I'm sorry to hear that." Mira only grunted in response, "If it's any consolation, I consider you lucky." Mira looked at him incredulously, "I never knew my mom."

"Oh." Mira said lamely. Kasanoda nodded silently.

"When's her funeral?" He asked.

"After school, but we can't go." Mira said, "It's back home, and dad can't fly us there. I know this sounds weird, but we're going to watch if from a webcam."

"Huh." Kasanoda said, "That  _is_  weird. You're not giving the eulogy, are you?"

"No, our aunt is giving it on our behalf." Mira said, "I doubt anyone will hear any of us talking on those laptop speakers." She sighed, holding her head in her hands again, "I hate funerals."

"Who doesn't?" Kasanoda asked, a wry smirk on his face, Mira didn't respond. Kasanoda frowned and thought for a moment, "Here, think about it like this," She looked over at him, "Ever since I was a kid, I've believed in an afterlife. Sometimes, it's like heaven, sometimes it's not. Most of the time, though, I believe in reincarnation… I like to think that we get to choose who we get to be, and we know about what happens before we live in that body…" Mira gave him a blank stare, "Okay, what I'm saying is… your mom's soul, whoever she is, chose to be your mother. She knew she would die before you, and she knew that you would be miserable, but she chose to be your mother anyway, because she knew how great a girl you would be, and… That being your mom… Would be the greatest time of her eternal life." Mira looked at Kasanoda with wide, teary eyes. He saw this and became flustered, "Aw, no, don't cry!" Mira put her arms around him, sniffling into his shoulder. Kasanoda sat awkwardly still, not sure what to do.

"Thanks, Kasanoda-san." Mira said, "You're a good friend." Kasanoda calmed down when he heard her say this, and cautiously put his arms around her, returning the embrace.

* * *

Mira opened the door to the club room, and was surprised to see all the other hosts gathered on the other side. They all looked very serious, and concerned. Mira closed the door slowly behind her.

"Hi guys…" She said cautiously, they didn't respond, she looked at them, "What's going on?"

"Mira-sempai, we're worried about you." Haruhi said, Mira quirked an eyebrow at them.

"What for? I'm fine." She said. She looked up at Tamaki as he walked over to her, and she stood completely still as he hugged her. After a moment of awkward silence, Mira looked up at him, "…What are you doing?"

"There  _has_  to be something wrong with you!" Tamaki said, pulling away, "You're  _letting_  me hug you!"

"I decide to be nice for  _one_  day, and you guys lose your minds over it!" Mira said, pushing him away, "I said I'm fine!" She walked past him and walk past the others.

"Mori-sempai told us that he saw you crying in the middle of class." Kyoya said, Mira stopped, grimacing.

"You saw that?" She asked, turning her head to see them.

"We're worried!" The twins said, popping up on either side of her, making her jump.

"Okay!" Mira snapped, making the twins jump back. Mira took in a deep breath to calm herself down. "Yes, something happened, and I don't want to talk about it right now. Besides, I talked with Kasanoda-san, and I… feel a little better than I did this morning."

"So you can talk to Casanova-kun about it, but you can't talk to  _us_  about it?" Tamaki asked, pouting at her. Mira scowled.

"It's  _Kasanoda_ , and yes, I  _can_  talk to you about it, I just don't want to." Mira said, she brushed past him, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some flirting to do." Mori went over to her and grabbed her arm. She looked up at him, and saw his concerned face, she smiled softly at him, "We'll talk later. I promise." She patted his hand and he moved it away from her arm. He looked like he doubted her, and she sighed, crossing her heart, "Promise."

* * *

Mira picked up her school bag once the club had ended. She turned to leave, and saw the host club standing in her way. She sighed exasperatedly.

"Seriously?" She asked them.

"We're really worried, Mira-chan." Honey said, Mira let out a huff of air, looking away from them.

"I don't have time for this, my brother's waiting for me." She started to walk around them, when Mori grabbed her arm again.

"You said we'd talk later," Mori said, "It's later." Mira sighed.

"You guys really want to know?" She asked them, "Right now?"

"Yes, right now." Kyoya said sternly. Mira looked away, gently moving her arm from Mori's grasp.

"My mom died." She said bluntly, making all the hosts' eyes widen as she turned to them, "Last night. Her heart gave out. Happy?" She turned away from them and walked off, only Mori noticed that her eyes were beginning to fill up with tears as she walked off. She slammed the door behind her when she left. The sound resonated throughout the room.

"I… I didn't know…" Tamaki said. It was hard for him to think that the woman he saw only a few weeks ago in America was dead. Mira had gone to visit her after the first time, but the host club had only visited her once. She seemed like a perfectly happy woman, and had she not been in the hospital, Tamaki would have thought she was perfectly healthy. To think that she was no longer of this world was… unsettling, to say the least.

"None of us did." Haruhi said, "I can see why she didn't want to talk about it." She felt her chest constrict when she thought of her own mother.

"Poor Mira-chan…" Honey murmured, hugging his stuffed bunny tightly.

"You know what we should do?" Tamaki said, getting everyone's attention, "We should do something really nice for her. Just to cheer her up."

"Like what?" The twins asked.

"Like…" Tamaki began, thinking hard, "Like… I don't know." He looked over at Honey and Mori, "What does Mira-sempai like? After all the time I've known her, all I know is what she doesn't like." The two third years thought for a moment.

"Ooh!" Honey said suddenly, "I know what Mira-chan likes!"

* * *

_The next day…_

" _Miiiiiiiiiiira_ -sempai!" Tamaki sang as he knocked on the door to the Marino house. He looked back at Honey, "How's the cake look?"

Honey lifted up the top to the box the cake was in and looked it over, then shut the box and gave Tamaki a thumbs-up, "Looks good!" Tamaki smiled and turned back to the door eagerly as it was opened.

"Hi, Mira-sempa- Isabella-chan?" Tamaki stopped when he saw it was Mira's sister that answered the door, "Um, hello."

"Hi." Isabella said, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're looking for Mira-sempai." Tamaki said, "We heard about your mother, and… well, we want to see if we can cheer her up." Tamaki poked his head up to see over Isabella, "Is she home?"

"No, actually Mira and Al went out for lunch." Isabella said, "She's been taking it really hard, lately. Al thought if he treated her to her favorite restaurant in Japan, she might cheer up a little."

"Oh." Tamaki said, his shoulders deflating.

"But, they should be back any minute, if you want to wait for her." Isabella said, moving aside to let them in.

"Thank you, Isabella-chan!" Tamaki said, walking into the house. The rest of the club following him inside.

* * *

Mira took another sip from her soda as she and Alfonso sat at a booth in a sushi place in town. She picked up her chopsticks and ate a piece of sushi, but quickly put her chopsticks back down. She wanted to eat to show Alfonso she was fine, but she just didn't feel like eating. Alfonso saw this and scowled. He pushed the plate closer to her.

"Eat." He ordered, Mira looked away from him, his scowl deepened, "Mira, I know you're upset, but that's no reason to starve yourself."

"I'm not starving myself." Mira said, "I'm just not hungry." She pushed the plate back to him.

"You've barely eaten for the past two days." Alfonso said, "I want to see you eat, damn it." Mira pushed the plate back.

"You can't force me if I'm not hungry." She shot back, Alfonso was about to push the plate back, but stopped. He sighed and pulled his hand back.

"I know." He said, "I'm just…" He sighed again, "I'm worried about you, Mirabella."

"I'll be fine." Mira said, Alfonso gave her a look that asked, 'Oh, really?' "You know, eventually." Alfonso got up from his seat and sat down next to her in the booth. He put his arms around her shoulders and held her.

"Mira, I know it's hard." He said, "Hell, I'm going through a lot of rough stuff lately, but- now I want you to listen to me. Are you listening?" Mira looked up at him.

"I'm listening." She said.

"I know you think that being strong means being… something like a guy." Alfonso said, Mira gave him a dry look, "And by that, I mean, doing what guys normally do. Not crying, bottling it all up, and in general, causing emotional stress."

"Since when do you know about all this?" Mira asked.

"Kaori talked to me about it." Alfonso said quickly, "Now listen. Mom loved you. And you know as well as I do that she would never want one of her kids to be stupid enough to do that stuff. So, if you ever want to talk, or if you need anything at all," He gently squeezed her, "I'm right here." Mira smiled and leaned into him.

"I know, Al." She said, "Thank you."

"Hey, what are big brothers for?" Alfonso said.

* * *

"So  _this_  is Mira-sempai's room." Hikaru said as he and Kaoru walked in.

"It's not nearly as messy as I thought it would be." Kaoru mused as he looked around and saw only a few things were lying around on the floor. Mira's room was rather large, with two big windows overlooking the backyard of the house. She had a comfy-looking queen-sized bed with light blue sheets and pillows. All over the walls were various posters and pictures, some were photographs, others were hand-drawn by someone. She had a desk in the corner of the room, next to her closet, and on the other side of her closet was a bookcase filled with all different books of all different titles. The rest of the host club walked around the room as well, looking at all of Mira's possessions and everything else.

"Um…" Isabella said, standing outside the doorway, "You guys really shouldn't be in there. Mira  _hates_  it when people go through her stuff without her permission. She hardly lets anyone in her room."

"Ah, she won't be back for a while." Hikaru said.

"She'll be back any minute!" Isabella said, "I'm telling you, after everything that's happened, she's not going to be happy."

"To be honest, Mira-sempai is almost never happy around us." Tamaki said as he looked over some of the CD's she kept in a pile on her desk, "Hey, Haruhi, you read English, don't you?"

"Sort of." Haruhi said with a shrug.

"What's this say?" Tamaki asked, showing her the CD cover and pointing to the band name at the top.

"Um…" Haruhi squinted her eyes, trying to remember the English reading lessons she had taken with Mira, "Mercy Mercedes."

"What an odd band name." Tamaki mused, putting it down and picking up another, "And this one?"

"That's… Ah…" She picked up the CD, trying to read the name at the top, "Aavv… Avree… I don't know."

"That's probably her Avril Lavigne CD." Isabella said from the doorway.

"Oh." Tamaki said, taking the CD case, looking at the picture of the singer on the cover, "She's sort of pretty." He put it down and picked up another, "Hey, she has some Japanese bands here, too!" He said, finding a CD with the cover for the band Asian Kung Fu Generation.

"Lame." The twins said, going over the books on her bookshelf. "What a bunch of junk." They looked over the book titles, ignoring the ones in English and not caring for the ones written in Japanese.

"Doesn't she have any manga?" Hikaru asked, going through the books.

"How boring." Kaoru said, flipping through the pages of a thriller novel.

"Ne, Izzy-chan," Honey said, "Who's this?" He pointed to one of the posters hanging on Mira's wall where a woman had her sleeve rolled up with English words above her reading 'We can do it!'.

"That's Rosie the Riveter." Isabella said.

"Who's that?" Honey asked.

"She's been a symbol for feminism since the 1940's." Isabella explained, "Mira's all about women not being any different from a man."

"Oh." Honey said, turning his attention back to it, "I probably should have guessed that." Mori looked at one of the framed pictures hanging on Mira's wall, seeing that it was a family photo taken when Mira was a little girl. Kyoya silently looked over some of the hand drawn pictures, seeing that they were done by her friends, and were mostly just portraits of her. Hikaru and Kaoru opened up Mira's closet, seeing that it was full of clothes. Mostly T-shirts and jeans, with the occasional skirt and tank top hanging around. The closet floor had various shoes strewn about, but that's not what caught their attention. On the floor of Mira's closet was a little, one foot by one foot safe, hiding in the corner. They exchanged glances and grinned deviously as they reached down and picked it up.

"Hey, Isabella-sempai!" They said, carrying the safe over to the bed, "What's in here?" Isabelle stared at it in surprise.

"I… don't know." She said, "I've never seen it before…"

"Great!" Kaoru said.

" _Let's open it_!" Hikaru said, the twins rubbed their hands together deviously, like two villains plotting an evil scheme.

"No!" Tamaki said quickly, "That's a serious invasion of Mira-sempai's privacy!"

"Oh, come on, Boss." The twins said, "Aren't you a  _little_  curious to see what's inside?" Tamaki faltered.

"Well… I am a  _little_  curious…" He said, "But that's still no reason to go trifling through it!"

"Fine, we'll crack it ourselves." The twins said, going straight for the safe's combination lock. Kaoru pressed his ear to the door while Hikaru began moving the little knob to see if he could get the right numbers. Tamaki and Haruhi went over to see how they would open the safe, as did Honey. Mori tried to ignore it and focus his attention on Mira's wall art, while Kyoya began inspecting Mira's desk.

"You guys really shouldn't be doing that." Isabella said worriedly from the door.

"SHHH!" The twins hissed, trying to figure out the code.

"But-!"

"SHHH!" Tamaki and Honey hissed, putting their fingers over their mouths to try and silence her.

"Fine, I'll be quiet." Isabella mumbled, doing as they asked. She looked over at where Kyoya was inspecting the desk, and watched as he began opening some of the drawers.

He opened the second drawer from the bottom, and was surprised to see that, carved into the side of the drawer, was a set of numbers and arrows pointing two different directions.

"Hikaru, Kaoru." He said, getting their attention, "Try this combination," They stood at the ready as Kyoya began to read out the numbers, "Zero-left-seven-right-zero-left-seven-right-nine-left-three-right." The twins did so, and the safe clicked open.

"It worked!" They exclaimed happily, swinging open the door to see…

" _More books?_!"

The safe was filled with various piles of books, and a few other, various objects. Haruhi looked in interest at a small candle she pulled out, finding that it smelled like vanilla. Tamaki picked up one of the books, not being able to read the English title.

"Haruhi, what's this say?" He asked, pointing to the title.

"Heartthrob Hallway." She read, quirking her eyebrow at the title, "What kind of book is that?"

"Sounds like a romance novel." Tamaki said, flipping through the pages.

"Here's one in Japanese." Kyoya said, pulling out another book, "Ruby Ring Romance."

"They're  _romance novels?_!" Hikaru asked in surprise. Tamaki flipped through the pages, stopping on a random one and reading some of the words. He blushed when he did.

"Pretty racy romance novels…" He muttered, putting it back.

"Let me see!" Kaoru said, snatching the book up and reading some of it, he elbowed his brother, "Listen to this! ' _As I walked past him in the office, I couldn't help but notice his bright blue eyes and how they smoldered into mine._ ' It's so cheesy!"

"You don't think…" Kyoya began, getting everyone's attention, "Mira-sempai might be a closet romantic, do you?" The twins guffawed at the idea.

"No freaking way!" They laughed. Mori picked up the book they had been reading and flipped to a random page. His eyes widened when he saw it was more than just a romance novel. It was erotica!

"Hey, what's this?" Kaoru asked, picking up an oddly shaped object. He pushed the small button on it and everyone's eyes widened when it began to vibrate.

"Mira-sempai has a vibrator?" Hikaru laughed, "I don't believe it!"

"I can't believe I'm touching it!" Kaoru said, dropping the device instantly, he shuddered, "I don't want to know where that's been." Mori's eyes widened in surprise, he never knew Mira had this sort of stuff. He wondered what else about her he didn't know…

He never had time to ponder these thoughts, because the next sound everyone heard was a certain female voice screeching, " _What the hell are you doing?_!"

They looked to see Mira gaping at them from the doorway. " _Why are you in my room?_!"

"Mira-chan!" Honey exclaimed, "You're back!"

"Why are you in my room?" Mira demanded again.

"Well, we came to see how you were doing," Tamaki started to explain, "And we wanted to see if we could help to cheer you-"

"Get out." Mira growled. Everyone in the host club stared at her in shock.

"Huh…?" The twins repeated.

"Get out!" Mira screamed, "Out! Out!  _Out_!"

"But, we just got here, and…" Haruhi began.

"Are you deaf? GET THE FUCK OUT!" She shouted, the host club did so with alarming speed. Isabella looked over at her sister, who was fuming in anger.

"Mira…" She began, reaching out to her.

"Leave me alone!" Mira snapped. Isabella jumped and ran off, and Mira slammed the doors shut.

_I don't fucking believe this!_  Mira thought angrily,  _First, they make me join their stupid club, then, they make me wear those slutty outfits, then I get tangled up in every little prank and joke that they can cook up. If that wasn't bad enough, I ended up getting attacked because of them! Ever since I met those idiots, I've been in nothing but trouble!_  She clenched her fists angrily, "I  _have_  to end this."

* * *

_The next day…_

Mira slammed open the door, making everyone but Kyoya and Mori jump at the sound of it. They were all surprised to see her, since she had decided to take that particular day of school off. So it wasn't very surprising to see her in a casual T-shirt and a pair of jeans as she marched in, heading straight for Kyoya, holding a manila envelope.

"Ah, Mira-sempai," Kyoya said, not looking up from where he was typing on his laptop, "Good to see you took time out of your fake sick day to come and participate in the host club today." Mira didn't say anything as she went straight up to him, grabbed his laptop, and slammed it shut. Everyone looked at her with wide eyes.

"Now that I have your attention," Mira said, holding up the envelope, " _I_  have something to say, and  _you_ , you sick, demonic son of a bitch, are going to listen." Kyoya looked at her in even greater shock when she pushed the manila envelope in his chest. "I quit."

"Excuse me?" Kyoya asked in surprise.

"You heard the lady." A voice said from the doorway, everyone looked to see Alfonso was standing there, his hands in his pockets.

"I. Quit." Mira enunciated slowly.

"You can't quit!" Kyoya said, standing up, "You have a contract!"

"And according to the contract, until my debt is paid, I can't leave." Mira said, she pointed to the envelope she had given to him, "Inside that envelope is 750,000 yen exactly. My debt to you is paid. I even added a two percent interest for you in case you got greedy, which I  _know_  you will, and would say something about sales tax or some other bullshit." Kyoya, unsure of whether or not she was telling the truth, opened up the envelope to find a very large sum of yen was inside the envelope.

"I also have another announcement to make!" Mira said, stepping back and addressing the entire host club, "Not only do I quit this God-forsaken club, but I quit this whole damn school! As of today, I am no longer a student of Ouran Academy! I am transferring out!"

"Your father approved of this?" Kyoya asked in surprise.

"Of course my father doesn't approve." Mira said, "But he doesn't have to."

"Your parent's signature is required on the transfer documents." Kyoya said, "And, unless you forged it on there, your parents need to approve of it."

"Parent  _or_  guardian." Mira said, "And, according to the legal dictionary, a guardian is someone deemed by a judge that they are perfectly capable of taking care of a minor in the event of family death or incompetent parenting. I did my homework on this, Kyoya, I'm not an idiot." She pointed to Alfonso, "I had an old friend of dad's verify that, in the case of my father not being able to be my father, Alfonso would be able to take care of me." He waved awkwardly at the host club, "He's my guardian, and _he_  signed the transfer documents, not my dad."

"But… Mira-sempai…" Tamaki said, "I thought you loved the host club."

" _Ha_!" Mira scoffed, turning to him, "Have you ever once, in all the time I spent in this hellhole, heard me say that I actually  _like_  being here? I don't!" She marched up to him, "This is just a club started by you so you have an excuse to get a whole harem of girls to come after you, and make that narcissistic side of you get bigger and bigger until all you know or care about is  _yourself_! Because, let's face it, you're a self-absorbed pervert looking to get his hands on as many girls as he can while he's still young!" Tamaki gaped at her, quickly going into his depressing corner. The twins laughed at his expense, "And  _you two_!" They jumped, "You're no better than  _he_  is! You fake homosexuality and incest, at least I  _hope_  you do, to get a rise out of all the girls around you! And to top  _that_  off, you dress me in the most perverted outfits in all of creation! You're just a couple of freaks who prefer to make people miserable instead of actually living your lives like a pair of normal twins!" They gaped at her in shock, not able to believe the words coming out of her mouth, "And Haruhi," She turned to the female host, who looked at her with wide eyes, "I honestly expected better of you. Yes, you were in the same situation that I was in, but you want to know the difference between the two of us? I don't  _willingly_  go along with all of their jackass ideas!" She pointed at Tamaki, "If you had any sense at all, you would just call up a lawyer or something to help you pay off that 8 million yen debt!" She turned to Kyoya, "And you," Kyoya didn't look at all surprised when she approached him, "You are the greediest bastard I've ever seen, and FYI, you aren't, and never will be the kind of guy I could date!" Everyone looked at Kyoya in shock. He took a sharp breath through his nose, he hoped she would never speak of that after everything.

"Mira-chan, we're sorry if we made you mad." Honey said. Mira turned to him.

"God, don't be sorry!" She said, "You're how old now? For Christ's sake, man up! You're my age, start acting like it and stop acting like a child! I've met three year old girls with more balls than you!" Honey flinched at her harsh tone, and his eyes began to water, "Oh, of course you would start crying. God, you're even more of a wimp than I thought!" Mori put his hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"Mira, that's too far." He said, Mira sent him a cold glare.

"Oh, by the way, we're done." She said, Mori looked at her in shock, she turned and walked over to her brother, "Let's go." He followed her as they walked down the hall, away from the host club.

Everyone stood there in a silent shock, the first one to react was Mori, who ran after Mira.

* * *

"Mira!" He shouted, catching her attention, Mira looked back and saw him running towards them. She pushed her brother forward.

"You go ahead, I'll be there soon." She said, Alfonso nodded and kept walking. Mira turned back to Mori as he came running up to her.

"What is this about?" He asked.

"Me leaving the club, or me leaving you?" Mira asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Both." Mori said.

"Well, I'm leaving the club because I'm sick and tired of being a part of it." Mira said, "And I'm leaving you because… Well, it's like this. I thought about us a lot last night, and I came to the conclusion that, while you're a decent guy, you're not  _my_  decent guy."

"What does that mean?" Mori asked.

"It means that, the only reason I was with you," Mira said, "Was out of desperation, pure and simple." Mori looked at her in confusion, so Mira explained, "Do you know when I last had a boyfriend?" Mori shook his head, "Never. I've told a guy I loved them, and he turned me down. You're the first boyfriend I've  _ever_  had." She sighed, "Everyone knows those first relationships never work out. I figured that I might as well end it with you so I won't have any ties to this place at all."

"Don't do this." Mori said. Mira shook her head.

"I have to." She said, "If I want to leave that host club, I have to leave you, too." She turned around and started to walk away, but couldn't when Mori reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Mira, please." He begged, "Don't do this." Mira moved her arm away from him and walked away, saying nothing, not looking back.

And that hurt more than anything she could have said.


	32. A New Start

32

Mira looked out the window as they drove by different apartment buildings in the city. Alfonso looked over at her concernedly as they came to a stoplight.

"You know," He said, "You don't have to do this."

"Yes I do." Mira said, "If I stay at home, they're going to try and talk to me." Alfonso sighed.

"You don't know that for sure." He said.

"Yes, I do." Mira said, looking over at him, "You don't know those idiots like I do."

"Alright, I'll give you that." Alfonso said, "But are you sure this is the best solution?"

"It's the only solution I have." Mira said, "Al, you said if I needed anything, I could come to you. You promised." Alfonso sighed.

"I _know_  I promised…" He muttered, leaning his head back, "I'm just saying, she might not like this. She asked  _me_  to move in, not you."

"I know." Mira said, "And if she says no, then I'll get a job, move into a different place."

"Okay…" Alfonso said, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

The seven host club members sat around the club room, all of them silent. They had cancelled club that day. They weren't able to entertain the young ladies today. Tamaki was curled up on the couch, his arms around his knees, his head buried in his legs. Haruhi sat next to him, her hands in her lap, staring down sadly at them. Across the room, Honey, whose cheeks were stained from tears, had fallen asleep in Mori's lap. He had worn himself out from crying, and Mori had been there to comfort him. Hikaru and Kaoru were sitting together at one end of a table, brooding in silence. At the other end, Kyoya was typing away on his laptop, not seeming to stop at all. The constant noise didn't really help the twins' attitudes, and Hikaru was becoming very annoyed from the sound.

"…Enough with the  _typing_!" He growled at Kyoya, who glared at him through his glasses, "It's so annoying!"

"I'm just calculating the host club's expenses for this month." Kyoya said, pausing in his work.

"Why do you have to worry about expenses?" Hikaru asked, "You have 750,000 yen to waste on everything we could ever need!"

"Hikaru!" Kaoru hissed to his brother, he looked over at him and he pointed over at Mori, who still sat with Honey in his lap, "Not. Now." Hikaru looked over at Mori, and calmed himself down.

"You can calculate the expenses later…" Hikaru grumbled. Kyoya didn't respond, and decided to work on something else.

Although Mori had comforted Honey while he was crying, he felt like crying himself. His heart was in ribbons. It felt as though someone had put their hand in his chest, yanked out his heart, squished it flat, put it through a shredder, and put the remaining bits of it into a fire. She had left him, and she had done it without the tiniest hint of remorse. Did she really think so little of their relationship? They hadn't been together long, but still, he would have done so much for her. He just couldn't believe that she had actually done it. He sighed and rested his head in his hand.

He wanted his Mira back.

* * *

"Hey, cutie!" Alfonso greeted cheerily.

"Hi, baby!" Alfonso's girlfriend, Kaori, greeted back, just as happy as he was. Kaori was a petite, beautiful young woman. She was about twenty three years old. Her long, black hair had been put up into a stylish bun, with two blue hair pins holding her bangs back. She had sparkling, brown eyes that seemed to be in a state of permanent happiness. She pulled his face in her hands and they kissed, with a bit more passion than Mira was expecting. She cleared her throat to get them to stop, and Kaori looked over at her in surprise. "Who's this?"

"Um, Kaori, hun, this is my little sister, Mirabella." Alfonso introduced, "Mira, this is Kaori." Mira smiled at her.

"Nice to finally meet you." Mira said, "Al's said nothing but good things."

"It's nice to meet you, too." Kaori said, nodding at her. She looked back up at Alfonso, "What's she doing here?"

"Well… See, that's why I asked you to double-check the whole, 'If you're with me, I'm happy' stuff you said last week." Alfonso began nervously, "See, she needs a place to stay, and… Back home isn't an option. So, I was hoping she could,  _maybe_ , stay with us?" Kaori looked over at Mira.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I had a  _really_  bad break-up." Mira said, "And I can't bring myself to throw away all the stuff he gave me, but I can't stand to look at it either. I just… can't stay in that house." She sniffled pitifully at the end, making it look like she was about to cry, "And with my mother gone, I have nowhere else to go, so if you could please let me stay here, I'd be so grateful…"

"Oh my God, you poor thing!" Kaori said, rushing over to hug Mira, "Of  _course_  you can stay here!" She pulled back, "I know  _just_  how you feel! I had a terrible break up back before I met your brother! I was miserable for  _weeks_!" She hugged Mira tightly, "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need to!"

"Thank you so much, Kaori-san." Mira said, "I promise not to be any trouble."

"Nonsense!" Kaori dismissed, "I'll go wash the spare sheets for the pull-out couch." She rushed back into the apartment, leaving the two siblings outside. Mira looked up at her brother.

" _Really_?" Mira asked, a small smirk on her face, " _That's_  who you're moving in with?"

"Oh, be quiet." Alfonso said, "When she's with me, she's a totally different person."

* * *

"I miss Mira-chan…" Honey said, staring at his uneaten piece of cake.

"Well, it was bound to happen at some point." Haruhi reasoned, "I don't mean the yelling thing, but I do mean the leaving the club thing." Her shoulders slumped slightly when she said this, "She was bound to pay off her debt at some point. When that happened, she was bound to leave."

"Daddy's not happy." Tamaki pouted, resting his chin on the table, "She said so many mean things…"

"It's only natural." Haruhi said, "I mean, after everything that's happened, I wouldn't be surprised if her leaving the school was out of severe emotional upheaval." Tamaki only grunted as a response. Haruhi sighed, "I miss her, too."

Kyoya, seeming to have ignored the entire conversation, typed away on his computer.

"I  _said_  enough typing!" Hikaru growled from the other side of the room.

"You wouldn't hear it if you left the room." Kyoya said, not looking up. Hikaru seethed at him, then got up, leaving the room.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru said, getting up after his brother. The door shut behind them. Haruhi sighed.

"They're taking it really hard…" She murmured, looking down at her hands.

"Not nearly as hard as Mori-sempai." Tamaki said, looking at where he once sat. Mori had left the room a while ago. Haruhi looked over at Honey.

"Honey-sempai, aren't you going to eat?" She asked, "You love strawberry cake."

"I don't want any." Honey said, pushing it away. Haruhi looked at him sadly, knowing he was taking Mira's harsh words just as badly as everyone else.

* * *

"Hikaru, wait!" Kaoru said, going after his twin as he stormed through the hallway.

"What?" Hikaru snapped.

"Look, I know you're upset," Kaoru said, "But that's no reason for you to take it out on everyone else."

"Who said I was taking it out on everyone else?" Hikaru demanded, "I haven't done anything!"

"Yes, you have." Kaoru said, "You know you have." Hikaru scowled, turning away from his brother, "I know what Mira-sempai did hurt, but we need to accept it and move on."

"Oh, and that's  _so_  easy!" Hikaru said sarcastically.

"It's  _not_  easy." Kaoru said calmly, "But we have to face it at some point. And it's a hell of a lot easier for us than it is for others." He gestured to where Mori sempai was outside the school, sitting on a stone bench by himself. Hikaru looked down at him from the window, then sighed, turning to Kaoru.

"Fine." He said, following his brother back to the club room.

* * *

Mori looked down at his hands, letting out a shaky sigh. He felt numb, and broken. He felt no shame when a tear left his eye, and plopped against his hand.

* * *

Two sharp, golden eyes stared at Mira, and she stared back, a bit unnerved.

"Kaori-san, what is your cat doing?" Mira asked as the incredibly fat calico stared at her from his place on the couch.

"Oh, that's just Gyudon's way of seeing if you're a good person." Kaori said from the kitchen.

"You named him after the beef bowl?" Mira asked, trying to look past the cat's basketball-sized stomach.

"It's his favorite food." Kaori said.

"You gave your cat gyudon?" Mira asked incredulously.

"He really likes it." Kaori said. They watched as Alfonso carried in another box.

"Okay, that's the last of them." He said as he put it down with the four other boxes he brought in. Kaori squealed girlishly and went around the counter to him, hugging him around the neck.

"Oh, I'm  _so_  glad you decided to move in." She said, kissing him. Mira grimaced as the kiss began to become deeper.

"Kid in the room!" She said, hoping they would stop. Alfonso pulled away from Kaori, panting slightly.

"You're not a kid, you're seventeen." He said, quickly going back to kissing Kaori.

" _Grossed out sister_  in the room!" Mira snapped. Kaori pulled away.

"Mirabella-san's right." She gasped, Alfonso pouted, "This kind of stuff is more suited for the bedroom, anyway." Alfonso grinned.

"I  _love_  the way you think." He purred, Kaori giggled girlishly.

"Ew!" Mira cried in disgust as Kaori took Alfonso's hand and began to take him to the bedroom.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Mirabella-san." She said, "The walls are really thick, you shouldn't be able to hear a thing."

"For the love of God, woman,  _move_!" Alfonso said with a playful grin as he squeezed her butt, making her squeal, "I can't hold it forever!"

"Oh, dear  _lord_  I'm not hearing this!" Mira said as she covered her ears with her hands. The two love-drunk adults ran off to Kaori's bedroom, leaving Mira alone in the living room. Gyudon meowed loudly, getting her attention before he moved and lay down in her lap. Mira sighed and stroked his fur, "Yeah, I don't like this any more than you do, Gyudon-chan."

* * *

Honey and Mori walked up the steps to the Marino household. Honey patted his cousin's arm.

"Don't worry, Takashi." He said, "I'm sure if we just talk to Mira-chan we can straighten this all out." Mori said nothing in response as Honey knocked on the door.

A second later, it was opened by Isabella, "Honey-sempai, Mori-sempai." She said in surprise, "What are you two doing here?"

"We came to talk to Mira-chan." Honey said, "Is she home?"

Isabella blinked at them, "Is she… She didn't tell you?" She asked.

"Tell us what?" Honey asked.

"Mira moved out just last night." Isabella said, the two third years looked at Isabella in surprise, "She said that you guys would come looking for her if she stayed here, so she moved out."

"Well, where did she go?" Honey asked desperately.

Isabella shrugged, "I don't know, she never told us." She said sadly, "Al might know, though. He said he'd help her move in."

"Where is Al-chan?" Honey asked.

"He moved in with his girlfriend, Kaori." Isabella said, "I'm afraid we don't know where she lives." Honey's shoulders slumped considerably.

"So, then…" He said sadly, "Mira-chan really  _has_  cut all ties to the host club…"

* * *

_The next morning…_

Mira adjusted the ribbon on her new school uniform, making sure it was tied right. She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror, turning to see the full view of herself. When her family first came to Japan, there were two options for school, one was Ouran Academy, the other was St. Lobelia Academy. Mira originally turned down the idea because it was an all-girls school, but now she planned to attend Lobelia for the rest of the year.

The Lobelia uniform was a loose sailor top with a large yellow ribbon, with a waist-high, knee-length red skirt and white socks that went up to her knee. She thought it was incredibly uncomfortable, but that's only because the school didn't allow their students to have the option of wearing pants to school. She sighed and picked up her new school bag, walking out of the bathroom.

"How does it look?" Mira asked her brother as she walked into the kitchen, taking some of the toast he just made. He scowled at her actions, but looked her up and down, seeing the uniform as he poured himself a cup of orange juice.

"It looks conservative and modest." He said, putting the carton of juice down once he was finished pouring, "Which isn't so bad a look on you."

"Thanks." Mira said sarcastically, before taking a bite of toast. She took his glass of orange juice from his hand and downed the liquid in two seconds, then handed it back to him, "Are you driving me?"

"No, I told you, you'll have to take the bus." Alfonso said, "Now get going! Before you ruin the rest of my morning…" He muttered the last part to himself, but Mira still heard it.

"Fine, I'll see you after school." She said, walking out the door to the apartment, "Bye, Al." The two of them heard a loud meow and Mira smiled, "Bye, Gyudon-chan." She shut the door behind her and walked outside and down the stairs, heading for the bus station at the street corner near the apartment building. As she neared it, she saw that someone was already waiting there. A tall woman, with long red hair in a black jacket over a purple dress. As she neared the woman, she realized she wasn't a woman, but Haruhi's father, Ranka. She stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh, crap…"

Apparently, she was near enough for him to hear her words, and he turned to see her. His eyes widened at the sight.

"Mirabella-chan?" He asked, Mira grimaced.

"Oh, God…" She muttered.

"It  _is_  you!" Ranka said with a smile, "It feels like I haven't seen you in ages!"

"No, _shh_!" Mira hissed, "Please, Ranka-san, be quiet!" He looked at her confusedly as she came up to him, " _Please_  tell me you don't live around here."

"No, I live two blocks down that way." Ranka said, pointing behind him, "What are you doing here, Mirabella-chan? And in a Lobelia uniform?"

"I-I transferred out." Mira said, "Ranka-san, please don't tell Haruhi you saw me here.  _Please_." Ranka still looked confused.

"What for?" He asked.

"I…" Mira said, "When I transferred, I…" She sighed, "Please, just… don't say anything. I'm begging you." Ranka's face still held confusion, "Haruhi and I… We're just not on the best terms right now. Please don't say anything to her."

"Did you two have a fight?" Ranka asked.

"Something like that." Mira said, "Please,  _please_  don't say anything."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything." Ranka said, calming her down.

"Thank you." Mira sighed in relief, sitting down at the bus stop's bench, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, we don't have a car, so we need to take the bus if we want to go to the market." Ranka said, "It's my turn, so…"

"Oh." Mira said, "Okay." They were both silent for a moment, and Ranka sat down next to her. The silence between them wasn't awkward, it was just silence. Neither of them minded it.

Ranka broke the silence by saying, "I already know." Mira looked at him in shock, "Haruhi told me what happened when you announced you were leaving. You said some pretty hurtful things."

"I know." Mira groaned, putting her head in her hands, "But you know what the worst part is?"

"Hmm?" Ranka prodded.

"I only regret half of what I said." Mira said, "Everything else, I don't regret at all."

"Well," Ranka began, "Sometimes, we have these things we need to get off our chest, and when we finally get them out, we don't regret them." Mira sighed.

"I just… I just couldn't take it anymore." Mira said, "I was so tired of _everything_ , and I… I just exploded." Ranka patted her back.

"Don't worry, Mirabella-chan." He said, "Things may seem bad, but they get better."

"I'm not so sure about that." Mira said. They looked up when they saw a bus coming. Mira stood up, "Well, that's my bus."

"I hope you enjoy your first day of school." Ranka said.

"Wait, I have a question." Mira said, turning around, "Does Haruhi take this bus stop to go… wherever?" Ranka nodded, "After school?"

"Usually." Ranka said, Mira sighed in relief.

"That's good enough for me." She said, she looked up when the bus's doors opened and stepped in, "See you another time, Ranka-san." Ranka waved.

"Goodbye, Mirabella-chan." He said.

* * *

Mira looked around the large campus, "Man, this place is just as big as Ouran…" She muttered to herself. She looked around at the students on the campus, seeing nothing but girls. She sighed, "Oh, this is going to take some getting used to…" She kept walking across the campus until she got to the lockers. She reached into her bag and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper and looked around the lockers until she came to the one that was numbered 242. She opened it up and sighed at the sight of all her schoolbooks already inside. "Just like the chairwoman said." She reached in and pulled out her schedule, seeing that it said she had history III as her first class. She saw a note at the bottom and read it.

_Be sure to check out our school's extracurricular activities! Especially the White Lily League (Zuka Club)._

Mira scoffed, "Yeah, right." She slammed her locker door shut.

* * *

"Okay," Mira smiled down at the schedule, "Just one more class, and I'm done for today." She folded up the piece of paper and put it in her bag, "I can't believe I turned down this school. The teachers are great, the students are very helpful and nice, if not a tad bit odd… But, that's not the best part," She sighed happily, "All the time I've spent here, and not a single insane club in sight." She stopped walking, the smile disappearing, "And I'm talking to  _myself_  out here." She looked around, noticing the other students were ignoring her. She sighed, "I gotta stop doing that."

She kept walking, looking out the hallway's windows, not seeing someone come forward. She bumped right into them, sending them both to the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" Mira said quickly, sitting up, "I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"It's quite alright." The other girl said, she looked up and smiled at her, "It was an accident." She moved to stand up, and Mira realized she was a very tall girl. And with her short hair and almost non-existent chest, she looked an awful lot like a boy. She held out her hand to Mira and pulled her up. "I don't think I've seen you here before. Are you new?"

"Um, yeah." Mira said, "Actually, I just transferred, today's my first day."

"I see." She said, "What's your name, young maiden?"

_Young maiden?_  "Um, Mirabella Marino." She said.

"A pleasure to meet you, Marino-san." She said, "I am Benio Amakusa, but everyone calls me Benibara."

"Hi." Mira said, "Again, I'm really sorry I made you fall."

"Oh, it's fine." Benibara said, "Are you heading to class?"

"Yeah, I was headed to my trigonometry class." Mira said.

"Oh, what a coincidence!" Benibara said, "I have trigonometry this period, too! Do you want to sit together?"

"Actually, yeah, I would." Mira said, smiling up at her, "It'd be nice to have some friends here." Benibara smiled.

"Could you do me a small favor in return?" She asked.

"What kind of favor?" Mira asked.

"Come with me to the Zuka Club after school." She said.

"Oh…" Mira said, she shrugged, "Sure, I guess." Benibara smiled and put her arm around Mira's shoulders as they walked.

* * *

"Oh, my! What a foreign looking face!"

"Oh, yes, she's simply stunning!"

"And feel her skin, it's so soft!"

"Ooh, you're right. What moisturizer do you use, Marino-san?"

"Um… Bar soap?" Mira said unsurely, she didn't use a specific brand of moisturizer. She never really found a need to use it.

Benibara's two friends gasped, "You liar!" One of them, a girl named Hinako Suwapuki (Also called Hinagiku) said.

"Bar soap? I don't believe you!" The other girl, a girl named Chizuru Maihara (Also called Suzuran) said.

"No, seriously." Mira said, enjoying the attention, "I don't use anything else."

"Oh, I wish I could get soft skin like yours!" Hinagiku said, "I'm so jealous!"

"Here, come sit with us." Suzuran said, ushering her over to a couch, "Would you like some tea?"

"Um, sure." Mira said, taking the cup Suzuran handed her. Benibara poured her some tea before sitting down next to her, Suzuran and Hinagiku sat on the couch across from them. "So, what exactly is the Zuka club?"

"You don't know?" Suzuran asked, Mira shook her head.

"I'm a foreigner to Japan, and I had never heard of Lobelia before I came here." Mira said, "So, yeah, I don't know."

"The Zuka club performs a wide arrange of original musicals and plays all around the year." Suzuran said.

" _Ohh_ , so it's a drama club." Mira said. She was surprised when the three girls scoffed.

"Hardly." Hinagiku said, "We are the White Lily League, we have a prestigious history."

"…As a drama club." Mira said, Hinagiku scowled, "Just pointing out the obvious!"

"Now, Hinagiku," Benibara said, putting her arm around Mira's shoulders, "Don't be so mean to her. She's new to the school, she doesn't know anything about the White Lily League. Be considerate."

"Yes, Benibara-sama." She said.

"So, Mirabella-san, if I may call you by your first name?" Mira nodded, "Do you have any interest in joining the Zuka club?"

"I don't know." Mira said, "I've never really done drama before."

"But you have a face meant for the beauty of the spotlight!" Benibara said, she put her fingers under Mira's chin, "It'd be a shame to waste it." Mira let out an uneasy laugh, not used to a girl being so touchy with her.

"I don't think so." Mira said, pushing her hand away, "To be honest, I came to this school to get  _away_  from dramatic stuff."

"Why's that?" Suzuran asked, Mira sighed.

"Well… I had, sort of, a bad break-up at my last school." Mira said, "It did  _not_  end well."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Benibara said, instantly hugging her, "I'm so sorry to hear that!"

"Uh, yeah…" Mira muttered, looking away uneasily.

"Where did you last go to school?" Suzuran asked.

"Ouran Academy." Mira said, the three girls gasped, Mira looked at them in surprise.

"You mean the same school where that idiot host club resides?" Benibara asked.

"Unfortunately." Mira grumbled, "I hate those morons."

"You had issues with them?" Hinagiku asked.

" _Issues_?" Mira repeated, "Ha! That doesn't  _even_  begin to cover it! You know, they made me work for them when I busted a tea set?"

"No!" Suzuran gasped.

"Yes! It was either clean up everything in a really ugly maid's outfit, or flirt with 500 guys and pay off my debt as a member of their club!" Mira went on to tell the three girls about her anger towards the host club, glad she had someone to talk to about this who hated the hosts just as much as she did.

"Scoundrels!" Benibara said, "Those horrible men should be castrated for tricking all those poor maidens!"

Mira looked up at Benibara in shock, "Whoa! Castrated is a bit harsh…"

"Of course not!" Benibara said, standing up, "They play with the feelings of every young maiden who comes to see them! Castration is just the beginning of their punishment! Those host club idiots should be burned at the stake!"

"Yeah!" Suzuran and Hinagiku shouted, standing up with Benibara.

"Hold on!" Mira said, getting their attention, "It's not like they're completely  _evil_  or anything. Sure, they're jerks with hardly any sense, but that doesn't mean they should be burned at the stake." She stood up, "It's just their way of having fun. I mean, sure," She put the cup of tea down on the couch cushion, "Some girls take it for serious and end up getting their hearts broken, but a good chunk of girls that go there actually know it's fake, and just go for the attention. They're not as bad as you seem to think they are." Benibara, Suzuran, and Hinagiku looked at her in surprise. "You know what?" Mira reached down and picked up her school bag, "I think I'll just go home." She bowed respectively, "Thanks for the tea and for the company. It was nice." She turned around and walked out of the Zuka club room, heading home.

* * *

Kyoya continued to type, going through various school documents until he came to the one he was looking for.

"Found you."


	33. Harsh Words

33

"I'm back!" Mira said as she walked through the door to the apartment. Gyudon meowed as she walked in, rubbing up against her leg.

"Welcome back." Kaori said from the kitchen, "How was school?"

"Weird, to say the least." Mira said, plopping her school bag next to the couch. "You ever heard of a Zuka club?"

"No." Kaori said, "Why?"

Mira shrugged, "No reason." She looked around, "Where's Al?"

"Oh, he's out." Kaori said, "I sent him to get some tampons."

"Ha!" Mira snorted, "Here for a day, and you're already making him your bitch."

"Oh,  _hell_  yes." Kaori laughed, coming over to her and giving her a high-five. "Ice cream?" She offered her a spoon to eat ice cream directly out of the carton.

"Sure." Mira said, taking the spoon and waiting for her to sit down next to her on the couch before digging into the frozen chocolate, "What flavor is this?"

"Chocolate fudge brownie." Kaori said, "Isn't it good?"

"Yeah." Mira said, she looked up when Gyudon hopped up on the couch in between them, Kaori laughed.

"You want some ice cream, Gyu-gyu-chan?" She asked in a baby voice, the cat meowed in response, and Kaori handed him the top to the ice cream carton, "Here." Gyudon happily began licking whatever ice cream was on the top.

"You spoil your cat." Mira said before eating another spoonful of ice cream.

"Only because I love him." Kaori said, petting her cat's head.

"You can tell he's spoiled because he's so fat." Mira said, pointing her spoon at the cat.

"So what?" Kaori said, "He's mommy's little fatty. Aren't you, baby?" She reached down and scratched under her cat's chin. "So, anything interesting happen?"

"Meh, not really." Mira said, shrugging.

"Oh, by the way," Kaori said with an excited smile, "I got you a little something."

"What little something?" Mira asked.

"To help you get over your troubles." Kaori said, "It's in the bedroom with the little pink bow." Mira looked at her questioningly, "Well, go on!" Mira was about to go and see when they heard the doorbell ring. Mira got up and was about to open it, when Kaori stood up, "No, no. I'll get it, you go and check on your present."

"Okay." Mira said with a shrug, going down the hall to the bedroom as Kaori opened the door. When she opened the door, she saw a little turquoise box with a pink bow on top. She opened it up and saw a beautiful silver bracelet inside with a proverb engraved on it, 'Everyone makes mistakes, that's why there is an eraser on every pencil.' Mira smiled at the words as she turned to leave the room. "Kaori-san, it's great, thank you." She said, she looked up to see her, and was met with a much more unwanted sight.

Kyoya Ootori stood in her doorway, dressed in a casual shirt and jeans with a black jacket, looking straight at her.

Kaori looked over at Mira, "Mirabella-san, he says he knows you from your last school." She said, pointing to Kyoya.

"I know him." Mira said, putting the bracelet in her pocket.

"Oh. Good." Kaori said, she stepped away from Kyoya, "Would you like to come in?"

"Don't." Mira said, stopping her, "This will only take a few minutes."

"O… kay." Kaori said, standing in place. The two teenagers looked over at her.

"Kaori-san, could you give us some privacy, please?" Mira asked.

"Oh, right!" She said, she went back to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Mira glared at Kyoya, who stepped into the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

"How the hell did you find me?" She demanded.

"Don't waste any time, do you?" Kyoya asked dryly.

"Damn it, Kyoya!"

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to search through the school's transfer documents." Kyoya said.

"That doesn't explain how you found the apartment." Mira said.

"I have my sources." Kyoya said.

"You had me followed, didn't you?" Mira accused.

"No, I didn't!" Kyoya said, "I found your address in the St. Lobelia records."

"How the  _hell_  did you get into the St. Lobelia records?" Mira demanded.

"Through perfectly legal means." Kyoya said stiffly. Mira glared at him, and he glared back. They stood there, simply having a glaring contest, waiting for the other to give in.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mira asked.

"I should be asking you that." Kyoya said, "I understand wanting to pay off your debt, but that's no reason to live the school altogether."

"Says you." Mira said, "Why do you care anyway? Oh, wait, let me guess, you want me to come back so you don't lose all your new male customers!"

"That's not it!" Kyoya snapped.

"Then what?" Mira asked, "You miss looking at my butt in all those costumes you bought for me?"

"Damn it, Mira, listen to me!" Kyoya said.

"Why should I?" Mira said, "I ditched you and those morons! As far as  _I_  care, you're dead!"

"I want you to come back to Ouran, but not the club!" Kyoya said, Mira abruptly stopped short on whatever she was about to say.

"Huh?" She said.

"I just want you back at the school." Kyoya said, "Everyone is miserable. We need you back."

"No, you don't." Mira said, "Those losers got on fine without me before, they'll get along fine without me now!"

"We didn't know you then!" Kyoya said, "Mira, you idiot! Don't you know how you've affected the club?"

"No, and I don't care." Mira said. Kyoya growled and held up his hand, looking like he was about to hit her, but he didn't. He calmed himself down before he got the chance to, and put his hand down.

"Listen to me." Kyoya said, "The club is on the verge of  _disbanding_ , everyone is so miserable."

"So what?" Mira asked.

"The twins have withdrawn into each other." Kyoya said, "They only speak to other people if they have to. Tamaki is completely miserable, it took three of his home's maids to get him out of bed yesterday, he barely speaks at all."

"Drama queen." Mira scoffed.

"I swear to  _God_ , I will  _hit_  you if you don't listen to me!" Kyoya threatened, Mira did as he asked and listened, albeit rather reluctantly, "Haruhi has engulfed herself in her studies, and she keeps giving everyone the excuse that she has to study for something, when she did just fine before! Honey-sempai has stopped eating anything sweet, he won't eat candy, cakes, not even a candied fruit! And Mori-sempai is the worst out of all of us, he's completely miserable, he'll just leave the room and go outside, or to where your old locker was, and he'll just sit there!" Mira felt a small flower of guilt blooming inside her chest, but she tried not to show it. She crossed her arms across her chest, looking away.

"Why should I care?" She asked, "It's not like you're my friends or anything."

"Mori-sempai is your  _boyfriend_." Kyoya said, "Or, was, anyway. Don't you feel a  _little_  remorse?"

"No, I don't!" Mira said, "Look, I don't care what happens to you or the rest of that stupid club. As far as I care, you can all  _rot in hell_!"

_**Smack!** _

Mira fell to the floor on her back. She looked up at Kyoya with wide, fearful eyes as he glared fiercely down at her, his hand still raised. He slapped her! He just reached out and slapped her! She had never seen him like this, and she was a bit afraid of this angry Kyoya. She reached up and held the cheek that he had hit, feeling it begin to sting a bit. The stunned silence between them was broken when Gyudon hissed angrily at Kyoya from his spot on the couch. He jumped down and trotted over in front of Mira, his back arched and hissing again.

"Gyudon-chan…" Mira murmured, surprised at the cat's sudden protectiveness of her. Kyoya looked down at the cat, then put his hand down, sticking it in his pocket.

"I don't even know why I bothered…" He muttered, "I should have known that a cold-hearted  _bitch_  like you wouldn't even care for the people who would gladly stick their necks out for her." He sighed, "You know, I just thought that maybe,  _just_  maybe, there was some part of you that actually cared about us. But it seems I was wrong." He turned to the doorknob, "I'll see myself out. And I won't tell anyone you're here. If anyone found you, I don't think they'd care." He shut the door behind him, leaving Mira alone in the apartment's living room.

She slowly sat up, removing her hand from her cheek. Gyudon looked up at her and mewed sadly at her before he rubbed himself against her leg, mewing again. Mira looked down at the carpeted floor, not really caring for the fat cat rubbing up against her, or the pain on her cheek.

She did, however, feel the tears welling up in her eyes, and did nothing to stop them as they left her eyes and plopped down onto the floor beneath her.

She heard a door open and Kaori's voice say, "I heard the door shut, did he leave?" Mira didn't say anything as she came into the living room. She heard her gasp, and suddenly felt two petite hands on her shoulders, "Mirabella-san, are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Mira didn't bother to answer, "Mirabella-san, why aren't you saying anything? You're starting to scare me!"

"I'll be fine…" Mira said weakly, she stood up and stepped over to the couch, sitting down on it. "I just need a second…"

"Mirabella-san…" Kaori murmured sadly. Mira wiped away her tears.

"I'll be fine." She said, more firmly this time, "I was just getting a taste of my own medicine is all." She sniffled, "I'll be fine."

* * *

Mira walked through the Lobelia cafeteria, looking for a table to sit at. As she walked past already full tables, she began to recognize different cliques. One was the accessory girls, who did everything they could to make their uniforms not look like uniforms without breaking dress code. Another was the dark girls, when she walked by them, she saw them writing depressing poetry. There were also the sporty girls, who were very enthusiastic about whatever sport they played for. There were also the scholarship students, who spent most of their lunch time studying. But the biggest one out of all of them was the Benibara fan club girls. Mira just couldn't see how so many people could be such hardcore fans of that girl.

She walked over to an empty table and sat down. She stayed alone, until she heard a huge round of squeals, and she looked to see the three Zuka club girls were coming towards her. They sat down with her, and she looked at them confusedly.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"We thought we'd come sit with you." Benibara said, "Is that so bad?"

"No…" Mira said, "But you're not going to start ranting again, are you? Because if you do, I'm just gonna leave."

"Oh, no." Benibara said, "I promise, I won't insult your friends."

"I never said they were my friends!" Mira snapped.

"If they weren't your friends, then why did you defend them?" Hinagiku asked, Mira didn't reply.

"Just don't rant about it again." She muttered, stabbing her fork into her food, "What do you guys want any way?"

"Well, we want you to reconsider joining the Zuka club." Suzuran said, Mira scowled.

"I already told you, I'm not joining." She said, she sighed and picked up her tray, "Screw this, I'm sitting somewhere else."

"Ah, but-!" Benibara started.

"I don't want to hear it!" Mira snapped, walking away, "I'll just eat outside."

* * *

"I'm home." Mira said, walking through the front door.

"Mira!" Alfonso's voice said, "Hey!" He ran over to her and pulled her into a hug, "How's my favorite little sister? Good? Good!" Mira looked at him suspiciously and pulled herself out of his arms.

"…What did you break?" She asked.

"What?" Alfonso asked, acting shocked, "I can't believe you would accuse your loving brother of breaking something,  _just_  because he came to say hello?" Mira raised a dubious eyebrow at him.

"Alfonso." She said dryly, not buying it, "What have you done?" Alfonso sighed.

"I need you to go out and buy some stuff." He said

"Like what?" Mira asked.

"Groceries, clothes, anything." Alfonso said, getting some money out of his pocket and handing it to her, "Just go out and get it and… be about an hour."

Mira looked at him suspiciously, "…Why?" Alfonso sighed in aggravation.

"You want me to lie, or you want the truth?" He asked.

"…Truth." Mira said.

"Kaori's in the  _ood-may_ , and I need you to  _am-scray_." Alfonso said, Mira grimaced.

" _Ugh_!" She groaned, "Lie! Lie! Tell me the lie!"

"Kaori and I want to snuggle up together, all alone." Alfonso lied.

"Okay, tell me  _that_  next time." Mira said, taking the money and getting out, "We're out of orange juice, anyway." She shut the door behind her, and Alfonso let out a sigh of relief.

" _Alfonso~_!" Kaori's voice came from the other room, "I've taken off my  _thong~_!"

Alfonso grinned, "Coming dear!"

* * *

On the other side of the door, Mira shuddered in disgust. Alfonso and Kaori getting it on was the last thing she wanted to think about. She walked away from the apartment, money grasped tightly in hand as she headed to the bus stop, planning on taking the one headed to the supermarket. As she walked away, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy towards her brother. She couldn't be  _that_  way around anyone anymore. She didn't have someone to be like  _that_  with, or someone to love her like her brother loved Kaori. She sighed to herself as she walked.

She wanted her Mori back.


	34. A Quick Reunion

34

_2 months later…_

Gyudon meowed up at Mira, making her look down at him, "I can't get you anything to eat if you're sitting on me, you dumb cat." Gyudon said nothing as he stretched out in her lap, purring a bit, "Yeah, the cute factor wore out when you went over the 20 pound line, beef bowl." He looked up at her with adoring golden eyes and Mira sighed, reaching down and scratching his big belly.

The two of them jumped when the door to the apartment opened and Alfonso came in, wearing the biggest grin Mira had ever seen on his face as he carried a bouquet of roses. He whistled a happy tune as he put the flowers in a vase, then into a refrigerator. "Somebody's annoyingly chipper."

Alfonso pivoted around on his foot and smiled at his sister, "Do you know what day it is today?"

"…The 14th?" Mira asked.

"Guess again." Alfonso said.

"The first snow day of the year?" Mira asked.

"Nuh-uh." Alfonso said, trotting over to Mira.

"The first weekend of winter?" Mira asked, Alfonso shook his head, "I give up."

"It's me and Kaori's an-ni-ver-sar-ee!" Alfonso said, Mira laughed as he did a little dance on each syllable of 'anniversary,' "And we are going to celebrate big time!"

"Are you going to propose or something?" Mira asked.

"Oh, no." Alfonso said, "We are going to one of the swankiest restaurants in town, and then, I'm taking her to one of the greatest hotels in town."

"Oh, ugh." Mira groaned, grimacing, "I didn't need to know that."

"Hey, look on the bright side." Alfonso said, "You get the apartment all to yourself tonight and tomorrow morning."

"Yay, I get to share another night with the fat cat." Mira said sarcastically, she twirled her finger in the air, " _Whoopee._ "

"Aw, don't be like that." Alfonso said, "Look, if it makes you feel any better, you can sleep in our bed tonight."

"The same bed that smells like used condoms and whipped cream?  _No_ , thank you." Mira said, "I'd much rather sleep on the pull out couch."

Alfonso shrugged, "Suit yourself." The two siblings looked up when the door opened again and Kaori came in. Alfonso smiled at her and took her in his arms, kissing her, "Happy Anniversary, baby." Kaori smiled and put her arms around his neck.

"Happy Anniversary." She said, they began kissing deeply and Mira sighed.

"I'm  _right_  here." Mira said, waving her hand. The two seemed to ignore her, but stopped kissing.

"So, do you have anything planned for today?" She asked.

"You bet I do." Alfonso purred, he pulled away, "First, I got you a little something." He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out the bouquet, "Ta-da!"

"Oh, Alfonso!" Kaori exclaimed, taking them, "They're beautiful! Thank you." She leaned up and kissed him.

"It gets better." Alfonso said, "You know that French place down town?" Kaori nodded, "I got us reservations!"

Kaori gasped, "How? You have to book weeks in advance to get a spot there at all!"

"Well, I've been planning this for weeks." Alfonso said.

"Oh, Al!" Kaori cried, jumping into his arms, "You're the best boyfriend ever!" Mira pointed to her throat and made a gagging sound. Alfonso scowled at her.

"Cheesy." Mira said, pointing to the two of them.

"Oh, Mira-san, before I forget." Kaori said, pulling a piece of paper from her purse and handing it to her, "I was going to get these myself, but since your brother plans on treating me tonight, you'll have to get it." Mira grunted miserably.

"Seriously?" She asked, taking the list.

"Sorry." Kaori said, she turned back to Alfonso, "I'm going to go get dressed for  _Le Beau Jardin_!" She squealed a bit and ran off to her room.

Alfonso sighed happily as he watched her leave, "God, I love that woman." Mira stood up, Gyudon yowling angrily as he was forced off of her lap.

"I'm going to get started on this list." She said, "I'll see you guys later."

* * *

Mori walked through the market place alone, his hands in his pockets. He looked down at the plastic bag in his hands, seeing the cake inside. Honey had recently heard of a new cake shop opening up (He was  _finally_  back on sweets) and he had asked him to go and get him some for him to try out. He stuffed his hand in his pocket and kept walking, his eyes on the ground. He accidentally bumped into someone, who quickly apologized and went on. He sighed and kept walking forward.

Two months, and he still couldn't get her out of his mind.

He couldn't forget her energy, he couldn't forget her smile, or the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. He couldn't forget the way she would cuddle up with him when they were alone at the club. He couldn't forget the way she kissed him, the way she embraced him, the way she teased him. Most of all, he couldn't forget her voice, and all the last words they shared.

_"What is this about?"_

_"Me leaving the club, or me leaving you?"_

_"Both."_

_"Well, I'm leaving the club because I'm sick and tired of being a part of it. And I'm leaving you because… Well, it's like this. I thought about us a lot last night, and I came to the conclusion that, while you're a decent guy, you're not my decent guy."_

_"What does that mean?"_

_"It means that, the only reason I was with you, was out of desperation, pure and simple. Do you know when I last had a boyfriend? Never. I've told a guy I loved them, and he turned me down. You're the first boyfriend I've ever had. Everyone knows those first relationships never work out. I figured that I might as well end it with you so I won't have any ties to this place at all."_

_"Don't do this."_

_"I have to. If I want to leave that host club, I have to leave you, too."_

He sighed, even now, he could hear her voice speaking to him…

Wait…

He wasn't imagining that voice!

He looked up and saw something he had wanted to see for one long month. An American girl with green-grey eyes and a neon blue streak in her long, brown hair that was let down, fanning out across her mid-back. She thanked a sales clerk as she began to walk away with two arms of plastic bags filled with groceries. Mori felt his heart careen against his ribcage, and soar up into his throat. He would have choked on it in shock if he hadn't been so happy to see her, only ten feet away from him. No, eleven feet… twelve… thirteen… It was then that he realized she was walking away from him. He couldn't let her leave him! Not now, when he had finally found her again!

Without thinking he ran over to her, and grabbed her arm. She turned around, her eyes widening when she saw him.

"Mori…" She breathed. He swallowed and took a deep breath. It felt so good to hear her real voice again, "Um… hey."

"Hey." He said, releasing her arm. The two of them stood there in an awkward silence. He pointed to her grocery bags, "Let me help you with those."

"Oh-no, no, it's okay." Mira said as he took some of her grocery bags away from her arms, "I can… carry them myself." Mori didn't listen as he walked away, she followed him, "Hey, where are you going?" She followed him all the way to where a very nice car and its chauffer waited. He handed him the bags, including the one with Honey's cake. He took the rest of her bags and handed it to him, against her will, "Those are my groceries!" Mori opened one of the car doors and pulled out a notepad and pen, handing them to her.

"Write down your address." He said, "He'll take your groceries there." Mira looked at him in surprise, then shook her head, handing the notepad back to him.

"No, I can take them home myself." She said, "I need to-"

"Please." Mori begged, Mira looked up at him, "I want to talk to you." She sighed and took the notepad and pen back, scribbling down the address for the apartment building and her apartment number. She handed it to the chauffer.

"The key is under the potted plant, and if you could just do me a small favor," She asked him, "And just put away the frozen stuff when you get there? I'd really appreciate it." The chauffer nodded.

"It's no trouble, miss." He said, he turned to Mori, "Shall I drive to her residence and leave you two alone, Morinozuka-sama?" Mori nodded, "Very well then." The chauffer stepped into the car and drove off, leaving the two teenagers alone.

It was silent between them, until Mira turned to Mori, "There's a park nearby… Do you want to take a walk with me?"

* * *

The two teenagers walked through the snow-covered park, hands in their coat pockets. They were both quiet, listening to the various sounds of a wintery land. The sound of kids having a snowball fight, the sound of couples walking together, speaking in murmurs. There was even the sound of chirps from the birds that were a little late for flying south for the winter.

"So…" Mira began awkwardly, "It's been a while." Mori grunted in response, "How… how is everyone?"

"Okay." Mori said, shrugging, "I guess."

"You guess?" Mira said, Mori nodded, "How's Honey?"

"He's eating sweets again." Mori said, Mira nodded.

"And everyone else?" She asked, "And don't just say 'okay'. I want to hear details." Mori nodded.

"Tamaki's started being himself again." Mori said, "He was depressed when you left… So were the twins, but they've started talking to people again… Haruhi's hanging out with us a bit more than she used to. Kyoya… Well, he's still Kyoya." Mira nodded.

"And… what about you?" She asked, looking up at him, "How have you been?" Mori was silent for a moment.

"Not okay." He said, Mira frowned, looking away.

"I see…" She said, she saw they were approaching a bench, "Um… do you want to sit down?" Mori nodded and they went to sit on the bench. They had to sit close to each other, because the bench wasn't very big.

"How about you?" Mori asked.

"Well, you know." Mira said, "I, uh, moved out of the house. I'm living with my brother and his girlfriend now… She's really sweet. They're really happy together." Mori nodded. Mira looked away awkwardly from him, "She, um," She let out a small laugh, "She has this really fat cat named Gyudon. He's kind of got this charm that only a fat cat could have." Mori nodded again. Mira kept looking away from him. She wasn't sure what to say… What  _could_  she say? There wasn't anything left to say. She stood up, "Well, I should probably get going." She smiled at him, "It was nice seeing you again." She began walking away, and Mori began to panic. She couldn't leave him now! After he had finally found her after so long! Without thinking, he reached up and grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, taking her in his arms. Mira stood there, frozen for a moment, she had missed the feeling of his strong arms around her.

"Don't leave." He begged, "Please don't leave."

"Mori…" Mira said, trying to pull away, but he wouldn't let her.

"I've missed you." Mori said, she stopped trying to pull away, " _So_  much." Mira said nothing as she closed her eyes and leaned into him, her hands fanning out against his chest.

"I've missed you, too, Mori." She said quietly. She felt Mori's heart beat rise, she wasn't sure why. She put her cheek against his shoulder, "I've been thinking about you so much…" She lifted her head up and looked at him, she brought her hands up to his face, cradling it. Although her hands were cold, Mori didn't move. He closed his eyes as she began to trace every part of his face, "I'd almost forgotten what you looked like." She said with a bitter laugh. Mori opened his eyes and realized how close her face was to his. Without thinking (He seemed to be doing that a lot today) he leaned down and put his lips to hers. Her reaction was instant. She reached up and put her arms around his neck, while he wrapped his around her waist. His body begged to be closer to hers, and he pulled her closer to him. His tongue gently licked her bottom lip, and thanked God when she opened her mouth. She let his probing tongue explore every part of her mouth that he had never been to before. It was as if he was taking in every part of her that he could before she left him.

She was the first to pull away, panting from the effects of the kiss. "Mori…" He said nothing, for he was just as breathless as she was. Mira gulped and looked down, a blush on her cheeks, "I… I probably shouldn't be doing this, but…" She looked back up at him, "Do you want to come back to my apartment with me?" He looked at her in surprise.

"You mean…" He began, Mira nodded.

"If you want." She said. Mori leaned down and kissed her again, slower this time, and kept her close to him.

"Yes." He said when he pulled away.

"Yes?" Mira repeated softly.

"Yes." Mori repeated, he kissed her again. Mira pulled away, taking his hand and walking away.

"My apartment's only a few blocks away." She said, "We should be there in five minutes."

* * *

Mira opened the door, and Mori followed her inside. Mira locked the door behind him, "Take off your shoes." She said, and he did so, "My brother and his girlfriend are celebrating their anniversary, so they won't come back tonight. We have the place to ourselves." Mori nodded and she stepped in front of him, "You can take off your coat wherever." Mori nodded again and stripped off his outer layers, leaving him in a long-sleeved blue turtleneck and a pair of pants. Mira took off her coat, and Mori saw her wearing the same thing she normally wears, a simple T-shirt and jeans. "Um… Do you want to do anything before we…?"

"No." Mori said, he walked over to her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, "I just want you." Mira nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Okay then." She said, she leaned up to him and they kissed again. Mira grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled him with her as they moved to her brother's bedroom. She shut the door behind her so Gyudon wouldn't bother them. She kept moving backwards until she reached the bed and sat down, still kissing him. She pulled away from him and leaned back, showing her clothed self to him, moving so she would lay down on the bed. Mori climbed on top of her, resting on his arms and legs so as not to put too much weight on her. He leaned down and began to kiss her again, his tongue slipping past her lips and rubbing up against her own tongue. Mira wrapped her arms around Mori's neck and leaned up to help deepen the kiss. Mori found his hand suddenly going to her side, near the hem of her shirt. He hesitated in pulling it off, but eventually gripped the fabric and tugged it over her head. He pulled back from her as he took off his own shirt, and the second it was on the floor, Mira pulled him back to her. She ran her fingers against the skin of his chest and he groaned in her mouth at the feeling. His lips traveled down her neck and she let out a pleasured moan. Mori put his hands on her back and pulled her up as he stood on his knees, leaving open mouthed kisses on the soft skin of her neck. He traveled down to her chest in the valley of her breasts, his hands at her bra strap, fiddling with the hooks of the skin-colored lingerie. Mira pulled her hands behind her back to help him with the problem, but he stopped her. He reached underneath the strap around her chest and pulled the bra above her head. He gazed at her, seeing her chest in real life was a million times better than seeing it in a dream.

Mira blushed at his dark, lustful gaze and tried to cover herself, but Mori pulled her hands away, and kissed a trail from her chin up her jaw to her ear. He gently licked the lobe and loved the sound of her startled gasp. He put one hand behind her back and put another on top of her left breast. She let out a prolonged moan as he began to massage it in his long fingers. Mori kissed his way back to her lips and lowered her down onto the sheets, his hand still on her breast, as he kissed down her neck to her chest. He put his mouth over her right breast and began licking her nipple. She gasped and let out a long moan, " _Ahhn_ , Mori…!" He stopped. When he did she looked at him and saw his face directly over hers. His lustful eyes dark and intense as they looked down at her.

"Takashi." He said, his thumb and forefinger going to her nipple, gently playing with it. She let out another moan and arched into him as he continued. Her breathing becoming more and more ragged as he kept going. His other hand traveled down to her beltline, he undid the buckle and pulled her pants off. As he threw them off of the bed, he felt Mira's hands at his own beltline. He looked to see her undoing his buckle and unzipping his pants. She put her hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him so he would lie down on his back. He saw her face was redder than he'd ever seen it as she began to rub the bulge on his pants through his boxers. He let out a small grunt at the feeling and the bulge grew bigger. Mira's blush deepened as she removed his boxers and saw his penis. Erect and at attention. It was bigger than she thought it would be. He had to be at least nine inches, maybe ten. She put her hand on the head and began rubbing it. Mori moaned and lolled his head back as she did so. She used both of her hands to rub him up and down his shaft as she leaned down, giving the head a tentative lick. Mori's eyes shot open as he saw her take his head into her mouth. He felt her licking the underside and he instinctively bucked his hips in approval. He felt her licking up the pre-cum that had started to come out. He gripped the sheets beside him in a knuckle white grip, his face contorting to a seemingly painful expression. Finally, he had reached his peak and he shot his seed into her mouth. He collapsed against the sheets once it had been spilled, panting harshly. Mira, her mouth still on his tip, tried not to let any of Mori's come spill out of her mouth as she sat up. She put her hand over her mouth as she gulped it down her throat. She wiped her mouth once she had done so, Mori looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Did you just swallow it?" He asked. Mira looked at him and nodded.

"Not the greatest thing I've ever had, but it could've been worse." She said. She saw Mori's penis become half-erect at her words and he sat up, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her down onto the bed. She looked up at him in surprise, then she felt his fingers tracing her woman hood through her underwear. She gasped and went limp against the sheets as he continued. She let out a small whimper as his fingers brushed by a small bundle of nerves. Mori grabbed the edge of the panties and pulled them off. This was when he really drank in the moment. He gazed at her naked body as she was laid out before him. This was the girl he had dreamt about, fantasized about, and those dreams and fantasies really didn't do her justice.

Mira blushed childishly under his gaze, not used to being stared at like this. She had never thought herself attractive because of all the tomboyish things she does, but in Mori's eyes, she saw she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on, his face was a mixture of awe and bashfulness. It was rather flattering. Mori placed his hand back where it was and Mira moaned again. His fingers traced around her labia, and she arched at the feeling. His fingers moved over her clitoris again, twisting it between his thumb and forefinger. Mira let out another whimper as he continued. Mori experimentally put his finger inside her, and Mira gasped breathily. She moaned longingly as he maneuvered it around inside her. Curling his finger at just the right spot to make her cry out.

"Takashi…!" She gasped. When he heard his name, Mori froze. For a second, everything seemed to freeze frame. He saw Mira's flushed face, her form squirming and writhing underneath him, and her voice calling out his name. He wasn't sure he could take much more. He felt her tighten around his finger, and she let out a cry of ecstasy. She was about to come. He removed his finger and Mira looked up at him. He suddenly began toying with her clit and she arched violently, "Takashi! Not there…!" He used his other hand and kept playing with the other parts of her, tracing her entrance in a tortuously slow way as his other hand viciously attacked her most sensitive part. She writhed even more as he put his finger in her again, and her walls squeezed him tightly. She let out a cry as she came, her juices spilling out of her, her back arching at an angle that didn't seem humanly possible. She went limp against the sheets, gasping for breath, bringing her hand up to her forehead to wipe away the sweat and cover up her embarrassed face, "Oh my God…" She had never felt so amazing. He quickly put it on and positioned himself at her entrance. He looked at her, silently asking permission, and she nodded.

He entered her, and gasped. He almost came right then and there. She was soft, wet, and tight, a feeling that he had never experienced before. He moved into her more, hearing her gasps of pain as he pulled himself in closer, until he was completely in, all the way down to the hilt. A few tears left her eyes from the pain of having her innocence broken. Mori leaned down and kissed her lips softly, but Mira instantly deepened it, putting her hands in his hair and moving her tongue against his. Mori's hands went to her sides and held her tight. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, and Mira smiled.

"It's okay." She said to him, "I'm fine, go ahead and move." Mori nodded and pulled out to the head, then pushed himself back in. He let out a deep groan at the feeling, Mira doing the same, shutting her eyes in ecstasy. He did it again and again until he had built up a steady pace. The feeling of being inside her was amazing, her walls closed him in, the friction building and making them both feel an amazing euphoria. She began to move her hips in succession with his, matching his pace and causing him to dive deeper than before. He groaned and grabbed a handful of the covers on either side of the female below him, increasing the ferocity of his lunges. She moaned out his name in response. Her hands moved to his back, her fingernails digging into his flesh. He let out an animalistic growl as they clawed further down his back. Pain mixing with pleasure. She panted hard as she tried desperately to keep up with the increasing pace. God, it was like nothing she had ever felt before. His member made her feel so full and the rough friction of him rubbing her inner walls put her on cloud nine. Mira cried out as she came, the sudden tightness of her walls making him come as well.

When he had spent every last drop, he collapsed against her. Mori fell to Mira's side, both of them panting heavily, covered in sweat. Mira looked over at Mori, her eyes threatening to close in exhaustion. He looked back, his eyes the same. She turned to face him, and kissed him softly. Mori's arms went around her waist, pulling her to him.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear, just before his eyes closed. Mira didn't respond.

* * *

When Mori awoke the next morning, he saw that the side of bed where Mira had been was empty. He sat up in the sheets, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He reached down and pulled on his boxers and pants before he left the room. He looked up and saw Mira, wearing a bathrobe. She was getting milk from the refrigerator to pour into a bowl of cereal. He smiled lazily and walked over to her, pulling her back against his chest. She gasped in surprise, spilling the milk a little on the counter.

"Damn it…" She muttered, seeing where the spill. She put the carton down on the counter before she turned to him, "What are you doing?"

"Just be still." Mori muttered, kissing her clothed shoulder, "I just want to make sure last night wasn't a dream." She pushed him away.

"You need to leave." She said, turning away from and focusing her attention on getting a spoon for her cereal. Mori looked at her in surprise, when Mira noticed he hadn't moved, she said, "Now."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because you need to go home." She said, pulling a spoon out of drawer, "Your family's probably really worried. You didn't call them at all."

"Mira…" Mori said, reaching out to her.

"Don't touch me!" She said quickly, not looking at him. He stopped, "Look, just… go, okay? We had one night together, that's it."

"But… I thought…" Mori began, Mira shook her head.

"You thought wrong." She said, her voice breaking, "We had a good time, but that's all. You're going to leave, and you're not coming back."

"Do you regret what we did?" Mori asked, Mira didn't say anything. Mori frowned, "Fine. I'll leave." He went back to the bedroom and put on his clothes, as he went out, he picked up his coat and looked back at Mira, who refused to meet his eyes, "I don't regret it."

"I know." Mira said shortly, turning her back to him from the kitchen.

"I still love you." Mori said quietly, Mira didn't respond. He put his arms through the sleeves of his coat, and walked through the door. When the door shut, Mira put her hand over her mouth as she sobbed. Her tears ran down her cheeks as she leaned back against the counter.

"I still love you, too…" Mira sobbed out, knowing he couldn't hear her anymore. She slid down to the floor, crying. She had said it. She still loved him. But she just couldn't bring herself to say it to him. She cried even harder at the thought.


	35. Chapter 35 - The aftermath

35

Mira sat, curled up on the couch, her cheeks still stained red from tears. She buried her face in her arms, not even noticing her brother and Kaori coming back. Alfonso was the first to notice her state, and immediately went over to her.

"Mira, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly, she leaned into him.

"Al…" She murmured sadly. Alfonso put his arms around her.

"Mira, what is it?" He asked. She didn't say anything, she simply leaned into her brother. "Mira, I hate seeing you like this. What happened?"

"I made a… big mistake." Mira said.

"What?" Alfonso asked.

"While you were gone…" Mira began, "I had somebody over… It was a boy."

"Where is he?" Alfonso growled, "What did he do? I swear, I'll find him and crush him to bits for you."

"That's not it, Al." Mira said, "He said he loved me."

"Did he get you pregnant?" Alfonso demanded.

"No… I told him to leave." Mira said. Kaori gasped, looking at her pitifully.

"Oh, Mira-san." She murmured, coming over to comfort her.

* * *

"Takashi?" Mori looked down at his cousin, who looked up at him concernedly, "Are you okay? You've been acting weird since you came home this morning."

"It's nothing." Mori said. He didn't want to worry Honey.

"You're a liar." Honey said. Mori didn't reply, and Honey's brow creased in worry, "Takashi!"

"Later." Mori said. Honey pouted, but nodded in agreement.

* * *

Mira knocked on the ever familiar apartment door, and waited for it to be opened.

"Just a second!" A voice said from the other side. The door opened, and Ranka looked at Mira in surprise, "Mirabella-chan."

"Hi Ranka-san." Mira greeted with a small smile, "Is Haruhi home?"

"Um, no…" Ranka said, Mira sighed in relief.

"Good." She said, "Um, can I come in? I want to talk to you about something important." Ranka stepped aside as she came in, kicking off her shoes. "Thanks." Mira said, walking over to the living room and sitting down. Ranka walked over to her.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" He asked.

"I need your advice." Mira said, "Because, and I mean no offense when I say this, you're the closest thing I have to a mom right now."

"Oh…" Ranka said in slight surprise, "No offense taken." She looked back toward the kitchen, remembering about the tea he was going to make for himself to relax, "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure." Mira said. Ranka got up and headed for the kitchen.

"So, what brings you by?" He asked as he filled the teapot with water.

"I'm really confused." Mira said.

"About what?" Ranka asked.

"About… what to say to someone when you've spent the night with them," Mira began, "And asked them to leave afterwards. Especially when they told you they love you." Ranka looked at her in surprise.

"You told him to leave?" Ranka asked, sticking his head out of the kitchen. Mira nodded, "Why would you do that?"

"I'm not sure…" Mira said, looking down at her cup of tea, "I'm not exactly sure of anything anymore, and I need your insight to help me decide what to do next."

"Well," Ranka said, putting the teapot on the stove and turning it on, "First, let's talk about the boy. Who was he?"

"…Mori." Mira said, Ranka's eyes widened.

" _Mori_?" He repeated, "The same guy you fell in love with from Ouran?  _That_  Mori?" Mira nodded again, "I know you two had a falling out," Ranka spoke as he walked over to her, "But you invited him to sleep with you?"

"I… I missed him." Mira said, shamefully looking down at her lap, "And when I saw him again… He told me that he missed me, too. And when I got up that morning, I just… I wanted to get him out. I just kept remembering the day I told off the host club and… I told him to leave." Ranka stared at her for a moment, then sighed.

"Mirabella-chan, you're so  _stubborn_." He said, Mira looked up at him confusedly.

"Huh?" Mira asked.

"You're. Being. Stubborn." Ranka said, poking Mira's forehead in a comical manner while his face held total seriousness, "You're  _making_  yourself hate the host club, without even realizing it." He pulled his hand away and Mira rubbed at the spot he poked.

"What does that mean, exactly?" She asked.

"It means, you're too stubborn to realize you're letting the best people in your life slip away." Ranka said, "Think about it, you had fun at the host club, didn't you?"

"Well…" Mira muttered, "I do kind of miss the attention."

"From who?" Ranka asked.

"From the guys at the host club." Mira said, "I almost miss the way the twins would fuss over my outfits. I miss Tamaki trying to hug me. I miss Honey tackling me to the floor in a hug. I kind of miss arguing with Kyoya about stuff, and I miss spending time with Haruhi, too."

"And what  _else_  do you miss?" Ranka egged.

"I miss…" Mira's voice became quiet, "I miss Mori." Ranka crossed his arms over his chest, a victorious smirk on his face.

"Mm-hmm." He said, "So, what do you think you should do?" Mira looked up at him questioningly, "I'm not going to help you. This is a dilemma you have to solve on your own." Mira put her hand to her chin, thinking deeply.

"I think…" She began.

"You think…?" Ranka urged.

"I think… That I should stop being stubborn and apologize to them." Mira said determinedly, "I think that I don't want to graduate from Lobelia. I want to graduate from Ouran Academy."

"Atta girl!" Ranka cheered, "That's exactly what you should do!"

"And I think I know just how I'm going to do it, too!" Mira said, standing up, "Thanks for the talk, Ranka-san. I needed it." Ranka nodded, smiling at her.

"It was no trouble at all." He said.

"I have to go now, bye!" Mira said, quickly dashing out of the apartment.

"Bye-bye!" Ranka said, waving.

* * *

Tamaki kept flipping through channels with a bored expression on his face as he sat on his couch. He had nothing better to do, after all.

One of the maids came into the room, carrying a cardboard box, "Master Tamaki, a package came for you today." Tamaki looked up at her.

"But I didn't order anything." He said, standing up and taking the package from her. He opened the box and was surprised to see a CD case holding a disk. He read the words that someone had written on the disk's face.

_Play me in DVD player_

He shrugged to himself as he walked over to the DVD player and popped the disc in. The first thing that came onto the screen was a picture of a fat cat sitting on a couch. Tamaki looked at the picture confusedly, until the camera moved slightly, and he saw a very familiar face come into view.

"Mira-sempai!"

He gaped at the screen as Mira adjusted the camera. When she approved of it, she moved over towards the couch, shooing the cat away. The cat didn't budge. She sighed and sat on the side of the couch opposite the cat. She smiled awkwardly at the camera.

"Um, hi there." She said, "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see, but there's something I need to say. I, uh, I've been thinking lately about… everything, and I realized that… Well, that I was wrong. What I did and what I said on the last day I saw you guys, was the biggest mistake of my life. Tamaki, you  _are_  an idiot." Tamaki frowned, "But you're also sweet, and kind, and I know that when you talk to those girls, you actually mean it." Tamaki smiled.

* * *

"And Hikaru, Kaoru," Mira said, "I know I said you two were freaks, and you kind of are." The twins frowned, "But a completely sane person can seem like a total freak to someone else's eyes. You two are clever, and creative, and you clearly care about each other. Even if the way you show it is a  _little_  bit disturbing." Hikaru scowled, and Kaoru turned to him.

"Hey, it gets customers." He said, Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"True." He said, giving a light shrug.

* * *

"Haruhi, I'm sorry about what I said about you, too." Mira said, "You're one of my dearest friends, and I shouldn't have said what I said. You were in the same situation as me, and I should have been able to see it from your point of view better than I should have." Haruhi smiled a little at her words, thankful for her apology. Ranka watched from the kitchen, and smiled as well.

* * *

"Kyoya, I know I really touched a nerve when I brought up what you said to me that one time on Coney Island, and I am sorry." Mira said, "And you're not greedy. I know a lot of people that would actually call that business savvy." Kyoya let out a small laugh, leaning back against the sofa.

* * *

"Honey, you may act like a child," Mira began, "But that's just who you are. It makes you adorable and sweet, and I'm sorry that I yelled at you and told you to grow up." Honey looked over at Mori, a small smile on his face as he hugged his bunny. Mori smiled back, petting his head, "And, Mori…" She took in a deep breath, "I… I regret what I said to you the last time we met, and I never regretted what we did." Mori watched as she nervously bit her lip, "I… I still love you." She tucked some hair behind her ear, "And I've decided that I'm going to transfer out of Lobelia and back into Ouran. If any of you have anything to say about it, you can meet me at the Yurushi Park near the market place at noon. I'll be waiting."

Then Mira walked up to the camera, and then the screen went black. Honey looked up at Mori, "Do you think we should go, Takashi?"

Mori nodded, "I need to talk to her."

* * *

Mira shivered and rubbed her hands up and down her arms as she walked around the entrance to Yurushi Park. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, seeing that the clock read 12:23. She sighed to herself, and rubbed her hands together to increase warmth. She turned around and started pacing again, shoving her hands in her pockets. She looked up and saw a familiar face coming towards her. She smiled and waved at him.

"Hi, Tamaki." She said, Tamaki looked at her with wide eyes. The next thing he did, she saw coming from a mile away.

"MIRA-SEMPAI!" He cried, running towards her and holding her tight with dramatic tears running down his cheeks. Mira laughed light-heartedly.

"I see you got my video." She said as he spun her around.

"Mira-sempai, I forgive you!" He said, nuzzling the side of her head, "I missed you so much!" Mira smiled and hugged him back.

"Thank you, Tamaki." She said, "And don't let go just yet. I'm freezing cold and you're really warm." Tamaki smiled and hugged her tighter.

"Okay!" He said. Mira let out a yelp as she pulled away from him and into two other pairs of arms.

"Mira-sempai, we forgive you, too!" The twins said, holding her in between them, nuzzling her head. Mira smiled.

"Thank you Hikaru, Kaoru." She said, pulling her arms up and putting them around each twin's shoulders, "Keep warming me up, I'm freezing."

"Okay!" The twins said, holding her tighter.

"Daddy wants to hug, too!" Tamaki whined.

"You always want to hug something." A voice said from behind him, he turned around and saw Haruhi. He smiled and moved to hug her instead.

"Haru-!" Haruhi moved out of the way before he embraced her.

"No, sempai." She said, walking over to Mira. She shooed away the twins, "Okay, move you guys. I want to hug her, too." They released Mira and she shared a quick hug with her.

"So, do you accept my apology?" Mira asked, pulling away.

"Yeah, I do." Haruhi said, Mira sighed in relief.

"Good, that means I only have three more people to worry about." She said.

"Make that two." A voice said from behind them, Mira turned around and the twins moved aside so Kyoya could step forward, "Business savvy, huh?"

Mira laughed, "Well, it was the only thing I could think of at the time."

Kyoya shrugged, "It's good enough for me."

Mira looked around, not seeing the faces of the last two of the host club just yet. She sighed, "I guess you guys are the only ones."

"Mira-chan!" Honey's voice cried, Mira looked at the park path and saw him and Mori walking down it, well, Mori was walking, Honey was running. He jumped at her and hugged her around her waist, Mira let out a grunt from the impact he made, "Mira-chan! We missed you!"

"Apparently." Mira said.

"Well, business hasn't been quite the same without you." Kyoya said, Mira snorted.

"You  _would_  say that." Mira said, Kyoya smiled. Mira looked up at Mori as he walked over, his face as stoic as ever. Honey moved away from Mira and gave the couple some space. Everyone was silent as Mira looked up at him, "Look, about what happened-"

"Did you mean it?" Mori asked, Mira looked up at him in confusion.

"Huh?" She asked.

"What you said on the video." Mori specified, "Did you mean it?"

"Of course I meant it." Mira said, "I wouldn't have sent it to you if I didn't mean it. Look, I know when we did… what we did… I was pretty mean and-" She was cut off once again by Mori, who took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. Mira gasped at the suddenness of the kiss, and before she could get into it, he pulled away.

"You talk too much." He said, leaning down and kissing her again, but one that was more sweet than passionate.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" Mira asked quietly.

"Yes." Mori said.

"Yes?" Mira asked, a smile growing on her face.

"Yes." Mori repeated, Mira smiled and threw her arms around him. Mori held her tightly too him, smiling to himself. The host club watched silently as the two of them had their moment. Mira was the first to pull away, giving his lips a light peck as she did.

"Well," She said, turning to the rest of the host club, "How about we all go out to celebrate me coming back to Ouran? My treat."

"Can we go somewhere that has cake?" Honey asked, Mira smiled.

"Actually, I know this great little shop just down the road," Mira said, "They have great cakes, and the rest of the food isn't half bad either."

"Yay!" Honey cheered, taking her hand, "Let's go!"

"Okay," Mira said, she turned to the rest of the club, "Everyone okay with that?"

"Why not?" Tamaki asked, "Lead the way, Mira-sempai." Mira smiled and began to walk away from the park, Mori taking her other hand as they walked. Mira smiled and talked to the twins as they kept asking her questions about what happened at Lobelia while she was attending the school. She kept on smiling through the whole day while she was with the host club.

She was with her friends.

She was home.

* * *

_Two days before graduation…_

"Ta-Takashi!" Mira cried in a pleading tone. She wanted more, so much more, but her mind was far too clouded from the feeling of ecstasy from sex with her boyfriend.

Mori, understanding what she wanted without words, paused in his thrusts and pulled her up so her chest was against his as he sat on his knees. He thrust again, going upwards, loving the way Mira cried out at the change in position. He went deeper than before, letting out a loud groan as he began to thrust faster. He thrust once, twice, Mira cried out at the third thrust, squeezing herself around him as she came. The feeling was enough to make Mori come and he shot into her.

They collapsed against the bed sheets, breathing heavily as they came down from their feelings of ecstasy. Mori was the first one to gain his senses, as always, and pulled her against him, her back against his chest. He linked their fingers together in front of her and Mira smiled drowsily. She turned over and kissed him lightly.

"I love you." She murmured.

"I love you, too." Mori said, kissing her again. Mira sat up.

"Okay, I need to get back home before my brothers notice I've been out for too long." She said, swinging her feet off the side of the bed. Mori groaned and took her hand.

"Don't leave." He said, a small smile on his face. Mira laughed and kissed him again.

"I have to." She said, getting up from the bed and grabbing her clothes, "If my family found out that I actually spend my 'spare time' coming over and sleeping with you… Well, let's just say the results won't be pretty."

"I can handle it." Mori said, Mira smirked.

"I know you can." She said, "It's my brothers that I'm worried about." Mori smirked back at her. He watched as she stepped into her panties and pulled them up and putting her bra back on. He looked at the digital clock beside his bed, seeing he still had some time before she left. He looked down at his hands, then back up at her.

"Marry me." Mori said. Mira laughed in response.

"Very funny." She said, she looked over her shoulder at him and saw the serious look on his face. She stopped laughing and furrowed her eyebrows at him in confusion. "Wait, are you serious?" She asked, turning around completely so she could face him. Mori nodded, "Wow… This is… sudden." She sat down on the bed, a dumbstruck expression on her face. Mori sat up as well, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her to him.

"I know." Mori replied.

"Why?" Mira asked, "Why are you asking me now? We haven't even graduated, I mean… I haven't even packed for Tokyo U yet, and you want to get  _married_? Why?" Mori linked his fingers with her left hand, gazing as her slender fingers in his long ones. He closed his eyes as he kissed the knuckles on her left hand, specifically the knuckle for her ring finger.

"We're not going to the same university." He said, still gazing at her hand, "And it occurred to me… That as long as you don't have a ring on your finger, you're pretty much fair game to other guys out there." He pulled her closer to him so his face was centimeters from hers, his eyes staring intensely into hers, "I want the world to know you're mine, Mirabella." He moved even closer and Mira felt his lips move against hers with his next words, "I don't want to lose you." He kissed her and they both closed their eyes, reveling at the feel of the kiss. When they stopped Mira looked up at Mori to look into his eyes and see that, he loved her deeply, and that he was honestly scared to lose her.

She smiled sweetly at him and turned around so she could snuggle into his chest, arms wrapping around his neck.

"You're realize that we're both still a couple of kids." She said seriously, Mori nodded, "You're asking a lot of me." Mori nodded again, "And, if I say yes, and I'm not saying I am, I won't want to get married right away. It'll be a long engagement."

"I wouldn't want it any different." Mori said, Mira smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Okay then, I'll marry you." She said, she saw Mori's face break into a smile like she hadn't seen before. It wasn't a simple smirk like any of the smiles from before, it was a real smile. It actually looked quite nice on him, she smiled back. Mori embraced her tightly, kissing her cheek and traveling downward, Mira giggled. "Alright, alright already!" He pulled back and kissed her nose, she giggled again, "Okay, seriously, though. After college,  _then_  we get married." Mori nodded, still smiling. "Good. Now," She smirked, "How about we celebrate?" Mori smirked back.

"Well, who am I to deny my fiancée what she wants?" Mori asked coyly as he rolled on top of her. Stopping her giggles as he bent down to kiss her.

"Oh, God…" Mira mumbled, " _Fiancée_ … That's going to be so weird for me."

"You'll get used to it." Mori said, kissing her again.


	36. Chapter 36 - Epilogue

36

Mori's eyes opened when he heard the sound of a baby crying. He looked over at the baby monitor and glared at it. He groaned and turned over to his wife, putting his pillow on his head.

"Mira… Baby…" He grumbled.

"Takashi… Your turn…" Mira said, turning over. Mori groaned and pushed himself out of bed. That was the second time that night that Leanne, their thirteen month old baby girl, had started crying. And he was fairly certain he was the one to calm her down last time, but he was too tired to argue.

"Fine…" He groaned, walking out of the room. Mira sighed.

"Thank you…" She mumbled sleepily. Mori turned back to look at his wife and smiled at her sleeping face. He may have had to go and tend to the kid to see it, but it was worth it. He left the door cracked as he went down to the kitchen, getting a baby formula and warming it up to the right temperature before he headed back upstairs to the baby's nursery. He opened the door to where his crying daughter lay in the white crib in the middle of the room. He checked the temperature of the milk before deciding that it was fine and picked up his daughter, cradling her in one arm and feeding her with the other. He gently rocked and shushed her as he fed her.

Leanne, named after her late grandmother, was a beautiful baby girl, with her father's dark hair, and her mother's green eyes. Since she never really cried too often during the day, Mira assumed she had been given her father's patience as well. Everyone adored her. Every now and then, when they got visits from the host club, Tamaki and Honey would gush over her, talking about how cute she was. Kyoya even offered to help them set up a trust fund for her when he first met the baby. Hikaru and Kaoru, who were now co-owners of a very well-known fashion line, made outfits for her almost daily. Every few days, they would bring them over and insist that she wear them. Haruhi would gush over the baby (Not quite as much as Honey and Tamaki), then she would ask Mira for advice, seeing as she had a child on the way herself, Tamaki's child, no less. They had gotten married. Mira always said she was crazy for doing it, but Haruhi never took it to heart.

When it seemed that Leanne had finally fallen asleep, Mori carefully placed her back in the crib and sighed in relief when she didn't make any noise. He quietly left the room and shut the door behind him before heading back to his room. He crawled into bed next to Mira, his eyes instantly closing in sleep.

* * *

That morning, Mori awoke to find the side of the bed where Mira usually slept was empty. He got up and stuck his head into the hallway, the smell of breakfast instantly filling his nostrils. He smiled and walked down stairs, where he found Mira, who held their little girl, making eggs and pancakes.

"Can you say 'pancake'?" Mira asked her in a baby voice, "Come on,  _pan-cake_."

"Pah!" Leanne cried, reaching out for her father when she saw him. Mira turned around and was surprised when Leanne was taken from her arms and Mori held her up high, making her laugh as he tossed her up once and caught her, bringing her back into his arms and kissing her head. Then he turned to his wife and kissed her cheek.

"Hmm, well, at least she knows who her daddy is." Mira said, "Papa's going to be her first word, I promise you."

"It could be mama." Mori said, "You never know." Mira shrugged.

"I guess." She said, turning her attention to the food. Mori wrapped his arm around her shoulders and watched her as she flipped over a pancake and kept making eggs at the same time. How she learned to do that over the years without burning anything, he'd never know.

"What's with the breakfast?" He asked.

"To say thank you." Mira said, "It wasn't really your turn last night, and this breakfast is going to make it up to you." She kissed his cheek, "If you do me one small favor first." He looked at her questioningly, "Give Lee her breakfast?" Mori smiled and nodded, carrying his daughter over to her high chair and placing her in it before he went to get her baby food that they kept in the fridge. He grabbed a bib and tied it on her before he started feeding her. For some reason, she was one of the messiest eaters he had ever seen, and he's seen Honey in his early cake-loving phase.

He smiled as he remembered how they decided they wanted a child.

* * *

_"Huh?" Mori said, looking up at Mira from the couch in their apartment._

_"I-I want a child…" Mira repeated, gripping at the hem of her shirt, "We've been married for a whole year, and it's been nice and all, but I want a baby." Mori looked at her nervous expression, obviously waiting for his answer. Mori stood up from his seat and walked over to her, kissing her passionately. Mira was caught off-guard by the sudden gesture, but quickly got into it._

_When Mori pulled away, he said, "I thought you'd never ask." Mira smiled excitedly._

_"You mean it?" She asked, "You want a child?" Mori nodded and Mira squealed, jumping into his arms, "Thank you, Takashi!" She kissed him with twice as much passion as he did to her. "You know what the best part about having a kid is?" Mori shook his head, "Making it." Mori smirked and purred deviously, picking her up and carrying her to their bedroom._

* * *

That had been one of the hottest nights he ever had. He shook his head of the thought and focused on feeding Leanne, who happily ate the banana-apple mush that was her food. Mira came over to him, setting down a plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs near him and one for herself next to his. She took the spoonful of baby food from his hands and began to feed Leanne.

"Eat your breakfast while it's still hot." She ordered, shooing him out of the chair. Instead of moving, he grabbed her waist and sat her in his lap. "Hey!"

"Hi." Mori returned, eating the breakfast she made for him. Mira rolled her eyes at him.

"Cheeky." She muttered, feeding her baby girl. They sat like that for a moment in silence, aside from Leanne's baby babble, simply enjoying each other's company.

* * *

"Lee-chan!" Tamaki cooed as Mira and Mori brought their daughter over to a picnic he had decided to throw. Leanne babbled happily as he came up to them, "Oh, do you recognize me, little Lee-chan? You're so  _smart_!"

"That's right, Leanne!" Mira encouraged, "That's Tamaki the idiot!" Tamaki pouted, Mira laughed, "I'm only kidding, relax."

"Hum!" Leanne said, pointing to Honey, "Hum! Hum!"

"Yes, that's right, Lee-chan!" Honey said, letting Leanne take hold of his finger, "I'm your uncle Honey!"

"She really likes you." Mira said, leaning down to give Honey (Who had grown slightly taller over the years) a chance to hug her.

"Look, Lee-chan!" Honey said, pulling out a small, plush bunny, "I got you an Usa-chan!"

"Ah! Ah!" Lee reached for the pink bunny and Honey handed it to her, and she hugged it tight. "Buh!"

"That's right, Leanne!" Mira said, "It's a bunny. Can you say ' _bunny_ '?"

"Uh buh." Leanne said. Mira sighed.

"I guess it's still too early to ask for words." She said.

"At least she knows how it starts." Haruhi said, waddling over as best she could with her seven-month pregnant belly. "Bunny starts with a 'buh'. She's very smart."

"Ah!" Leanne said, reaching for Haruhi.

"That's right, Leanne." Haruhi said, letting her grab her finger, "I'm Haruhi. Remember? Ha-ru-hi."

"So, how's you kid coming along?" Mira asked, looking at Haruhi's swollen stomach, "You ask about the gender yet?"

"Yes, it's going to be a boy." Haruhi said, rubbing her belly.

"Have you decided on names yet?" Mira asked, looking up at Tamaki.

"Well, we're still working on that." Tamaki said, "We're still not sure if we want him to be named Akira, or Hideki."

"I'd go with Akira." Mira said, "I like that one better."

"That's what I keep telling him." Haruhi said.

"Ah!" Leanne said, getting their attention, pointing to something, "Ah!"

"What is it?" Mira asked, turning around.

"Leanne-chan!" Hikaru and Kaoru said, running over.

"Hello, Lee-chan!" Kaoru said, letting her grab his finger, "Do you remember us? I'm Kaoru."

"And I'm Hikaru." Hikaru said, smiling at her.

"Ah!" Leanne said, smiling at them.

"She's so cute!" The twins cooed. Mira smiled at them.

"All by yourselves today?" She asked, last time they had come to visit, Kaoru had brought his fiancée, a pretty girl named Mayumi.

"Yeah, Mayumi wasn't up to going out today." Kaoru said, "She's gotten really sick, recently."

"How sick?" Mira asked.

"She's throwing up all the time." Kaoru said worriedly.

"Does she feel fine later?" Mira asked.

"Yeah, but I'm still worried." Kaoru said, "We're taking her to a doctor tomorrow."

"Well, that'll be interesting." Mira said with a sly smile, Kaoru looked at her confusedly.

"What does that mean?" He asked, Mira shrugged.

"Who knows?" She said.

"By the way," Mira said, turning to Hikaru, "How have you been treating my sister?" For the past six months, after Isabella had scored a modeling job in New York (By complete accident; a man saw her and told her she'd make an amazing model) she had come to work as the twins' model for their designs. And after working for them, Hikaru had asked her out to dinner, and they'd been dating ever since.

"Your sister's fine." Hikaru said, shooting her a look at her protectiveness of Isabella, "Contrary to  _your_  belief, she actually  _likes_  dating me."

"I don't see why." Mira said, "But, then again, I'm guessing you're a different man when you're not hitting on your brother." Hikaru stuck his tongue out immaturely at her, and she did the same.

"Okay, enough chit chat!" Tamaki said, "Let's get to what we came here for. The picnic!" Everyone walked over to the picnic table that Haruhi was sitting at, with different kinds of foods sitting on the table. Tamaki handed a bowl of mush over to Mira and Mori, "Haruhi even went as far as making baby food for little Lee-chan. It's apple and plum."

"Thanks." Mira said, holding onto her baby in her lap, "Where's Kyoya?"

"Oh, he said he was busy today." Tamaki said, "Something about merging with someone?"

"Oh…" Mira said, "Funny, Kenneth talked about the same thing." Over the years, Kyoya had worked very hard to get his master's degree in college and had actually gotten to take his father's place and became his successor. Kenneth, after their father's retirement, was given their father's company, and now ran it so that business was better than ever. Mira shrugged, "Must be a coincidence."

* * *

Mori watched as Mira held their child's hands as she walked around in the grass in the park. Tamaki was rubbing Haruhi's feet for her, babbling about how their baby would be perfect. Hikaru and Kaoru had left early because someone had called about getting ahold of some new material they needed to go look at. Mira swung her daughter up into her arms, making her squeal in laughter. Mira held her close and kissed her cheek. Mori smiled. It was times like these that he was thankful for Mira and for their little girl. When the baby was happy, Mira was happy, and when Mira was happy, he was happy. He loved their daughter with all of his heart, and when Mira would give him certain looks, his heart would still pound like it did when they were in high school. He couldn't have pictured a better life for himself, except for, maybe, having two children.

Mori smiled and walked over to her, kissing her gently on the lips. Mira looked up at him. "What was that for?" She asked him.

"No reason." Mori said, Mira smiled and kissed him back. Their daughter started babbling again, and they both kissed her cheeks.

Yep, he couldn't have asked for a better life.

END


End file.
